The present invention relates to multifunctional bisacylphosphine oxides, which are useful as photoinitiators, and to compositions comprising said photoinitiators. The invention also relates to a process for photocuring and to articles of manufacture prepared by said process.

The present invention provides a process for the preparation of mono- and bisacylphosphanes based on formula (I):

##STR00001##

as well as for their corresponding oxides or sulfides. The present invention further relates to photoinitiators obtainable by said process.

There are provided a compound represented by general formula (1), a photopolymerization initiator comprising this compound, a photocurable composition having this photopolymerization initiator and a photocurable compound as essential components, and a cured product formed by curing this photocurable composition, wherein in formula (1), R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each independently represents an alkyl group or the like; R.sup.3 to R.sup.5 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group or the like; X.sup.1 represents a single bond or an alkylene group; and X.sup.2 represents a bonding group represented by general formulas (2) to (4), and wherein n represents an integer of 1 to 6, when n is an integer of 1, Y represents an alkyl group, an aryl group or the like.

The compound (A) is represented by formula (1).

R.sub.1O—R.sub.2—OR.sub.1   (1)

(In formula (1), each R.sub.1 independently represents a group represented by formula (2), or a hydrogen atom, and R.sub.2 represents a linear or branched alkylene group having 1 to 16 carbon atoms, or a linear or branched alkenylene group having 2 to 16 carbon atoms, provided that at least one R.sub.1 is a group represented by formula (2).)

##STR00001##

(In formula (2), -* represents a bonding hand.)

Provided are compounds that may function as functionalized polymerization initiators, for instance in the manufacture of ophthalmic lenses, and to methods of such manufacture. The compounds are of formula I:

##STR00001##

wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, R.sup.4, p, q, r, s, v, w, and X.sup.1 are as defined herein.

Fluorinated photoinitiators and polymerizable compositions including such fluorinated photoinitiators and at least one free-radically polymerizable monomer, oligomer, or mixture thereof. Multilayer films including a substrate and at least a first layer overlaying a surface of the substrate also are described, in which the at least first layer includes a (co)polymer obtained by polymerizing the foregoing polymerizable compositions. Processes for making a multilayer film using the polymerizable composition also are taught. Articles including the multilayer film also are disclosed, in which the article preferably is selected from a photovoltaic device, a display evice, a solid-state lighting device, a sensor, a medical or biological diagnostic device, an electrochromic device, light control device, or a combination thereof.

A photoinitiator mixture comprising the components (a) a compound of the formula (I) ##STR00001##
wherein Ar.sub.1 and Ar.sub.2 independently of each other are ##STR00002##  or naphthyl which is unsubstituted or substituted one or more times by R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3 or R′; R.sub.1 and R.sub.3 in-dependently of each other are C.sub.1-C.sub.4alkyl, C.sub.1-C.sub.4alkoxy or halogen; R.sub.2 is hydrogen, C.sub.1-C.sub.4alkyl, halogen, C.sub.1-C.sub.4alkoxy or C.sub.2-C.sub.20alkoxy which is interrupted by one or more O; Q is C.sub.1-C.sub.4alkylene; R.sub.4 is methyl or ethyl; R′ and R″ independently of each other are hydrogen or PG-Y—R′″—X—; PG is a polymerizable group or methyl or ethyl; Y is a direct bond, O or S; X is a direct bond, O or S; R′″ is a direct bond, C.sub.1-C.sub.20alkylene or C.sub.2-C.sub.20alkylene which is interrupted by one or more O; (b) one or more compounds of the formula (II) ##STR00003##
wherein Ar.sub.1, Ar.sub.2 and Q are as defined above, and R.sub.5 is for example C.sub.3-C.sub.30alkyl which is unsubstituted or substituted and (c) optionally a compound of the formula (III)
R.sub.5—OH  (III),
wherein R.sub.5 is as defined above; provides a liquid photointiator.

A photoinitiator selected from the group consisting of an acylphosphine oxide, a α-hydroxy-ketone and a α-amino-ketone, characterized in that the photoinitiator includes at least one aliphatic disulfide as functional group.

A radiation curable inkjet ink comprising a polymerizable compound and a photoinitiator, characterized in that the photoinitiator comprises a functional group selected from the group consisting of an aliphatic thio-ether and an aliphatic or a (hetero)aromatic disulfide.

An organosilicon compound having not more than 200 silicon atoms per molecule is provided. The organosilicon compound is represented by the following average compositional formula (I): Y.sub.aR.sup.1.sub.bSiO.sub.(4-a-b)/2 wherein R.sup.1 is an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, alkenyl group having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, aryl group having 6 to 20 carbon atoms, alkoxy group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or a hydroxyl group; Y is a specific acylphosphinate residue; and subscripts a and b are numbers satisfying the following conditions: 0<a≤2, 0<b≤3, and a≤b. The organosilicon compound is compatible with organopolysiloxanes and is useful as a photo-initiator for various types of photo-curable compositions.