A single-component LED excited enone photoinitiator for colorless and transparent antibacterial film preparation

Photoinitiators (PIs), as the key substances for photopolymerized antibacterial film (PAF), affect the cure rate and color of PAF. Herein, two enone dyes were designed and synthesized by a facile approach. Among the candidates, BDO1 has demonstrated the ability to initiate polymerization of acrylate monomers as single-component PI with the advantages of low mobility, outstanding photobleaching, excellent cytocompatibility, and suitability for light emitting diode (LED) light sources above 365 nm. Taking BDOs as examples, a novel method based on theoretical calculations aiming to assess the potential of enone molecules as single-component PIs was proposed. Finally, under the initiation of BDO1, tannic acid was photopolymerized to a colorless and transparent antibacterial film with high antibacterial ability, which indicated that BDO1 was expected to be used in environmentally friendly PAF.