Alkoxyamines as safe surrogates to peroxy and azo compounds – ARES

In industry, peroxydes are used as initiators for radical polymerizations. As hazardous compounds, transport and storage are drastically regulated. Nevertheless, dramatic accidents may occur when extreme climatic conditions are met as highlighted by the accident in Crosby during the Harvey hurricane in 2017. Such accident may occur in France despite drastic regulation such as SEVESO and REACH. Therefore, the development of safer initiators exhibiting the same reactivity is timely due. Recently; we showed that alkoxyamines based on self-immolating nitroxides concept are able to provide radical polymerizations exhibiting the same features as those performed with BPO. Since several years, we develop smart alkoxyamines, i.e., stables alkoxyamines transformed into labile alkoxyamines using basic chemical triggers. Combination of self-immolating nitroxides and smart alkoxyamines concepts will afford alkoxyamines exhibiting high SADT before activation as safer initiators.