Mechanistic Studies of Photoacid Generation from Substituted 4,6-Bis(trichloromethyl)-1,3,5-triazines

The photochemistry and photophysics of 2-methyl- (1), 2-(2‘-furylethylidene)- (2), and 2-[(4‘-methoxy)styryl]-4,6-bis(trichloromethyl)-1,3,5-triazine (3), three compounds that find application as photoacid generators in photoresist formulations, have been investigated under conditions of direct excitation and using various phenothiazine derivatives as photosensitizers. C−Cl bond cleavage is confirmed by laser flash photolysis as the primary photochemical step in the direct photolysis of these compounds; the chlorine atoms formed in this reaction can be detected by complexation with chloride anions or benzene. In the case of 1, this photodissociation occurs with a lifetime of <20 ns. The quantum yield of bond breaking for 1 after direct excitation as determined by laser flash photolysis and steady-state irradiations was found to be 30−40 times greater than for 2 and 3. The mechanism under sensitized conditions involves electron transfer from the excited phenothiazines to the triazines as the primary photoc...