Chemistry a substance which, under the influence of light, acts as the initiator of a chemical reaction by passing on the energy it absorbs to one of the reactants.
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1950 Jrnl. Amer. Chem. Soc.72 1063/2 Di-t-butyl peroxide proved to be an excellent photoinitiator in these experiments.
2002 Nature 2 May 28/3 The process begins with a mixture of liquid crystal, a polymer-forming monomer, an ultraviolet-absorbing dye and a photo-initiator.