The effects of photoinitiators

light intensity

average functionality of mixed monomers

liquid crystal content

temperature and additives on the photopolymerization kinetics and photo-rheological behaviors of vinyl-monomer/liquid crystal mixtures are reviewed.The rate of polymerization Rp and monomer conversion greatly increase when an appropriate third component is added into the binary dye/amine type Ⅱ (H-abstraction type) photoinitiator system

and also largely increase when light intensity or temperature rises.Rp and first ascend and then descend with increasing the average functionality of mixed monomers.With an increase of liquid crystal content

Rp diminishes while there is no evident variation of for the type Ⅰ (cleavage type) photoinitiator; on the contrary

both Rp and significantly increase for the type Ⅱ photoinitiator in that condition.Additives that can lower the viscosity of monomer/liquid crystal mixtures also increase Rp and .Generally

higher Rp causes shorter gelation time for an identical system at a given temperature

and gelation takes place earlier when temperature increases for an identical system or the average functionality of mixed monomers rises at a fixed temperature.