Do germanium-based photoinitiators have the potential to replace the well-established acylphosphine oxides?

In the last few decades, there has been an increasing demand for photoinitiators with growing requirements. Nowadays, photoinitiators need to fulfill several requirements such as a low level of toxicity, biocompatibility, fast polymerization rates, high activities, good photobleaching and much more in order to remain competitive on the market. Accordingly, we compare acylphosphine oxides and acylgermanes, two common classes of photoinitiators, with respect to their various synthetic pathways, toxicity, availability and performance. This frontier article highlights the importance of recently developed germanium-based photoinitiators in comparison with acylphosphine oxides. Their synthesis, performance, toxicity and availability are presented with advantages and drawbacks.