Indian turmeric and its use in cationic photopolymerizations

Curcumin, an intensely yellow dye isolated from Indian turmeric is an excellent electron-transfer photosensitizer for cationic vinyl and ring-opening polymerizations. Especially attractive features of curcumin are its strong absorption, broad spectral sensitivity, efficient electron-transfer, low toxicity and low cost. Using curcumin as a photosensitizer, the cationic photopolymerizations of a variety of monomers were carried out including such naturally derived monomers as epoxiclized terpenes and epoxiclized vegetable oils. The impact of this technology on applications such as housing, boat-building and water distribution is discussed.