1-Adamantyl acrylate was synthesized by reacting of 1-adamantanol with acryloyl chloride in the presence of tertiary amine. The structure of monomer was characterized by FTIR and H-1 NMR spectroscopy. The influence of photoinitiator and monomer types on the photopolymerization kinetics of this monomer was investigated by real-time infrared spectroscopy (RTIR). In the UV curing system, the introduction of 1-adamantyl acrylate could significantly reduce the polymerization shrinkage. Thermogravimetric analysis of 1-adamantyl acrylate indicated that 1-adamantyl acrylate polymer has higher thermal stability than that of general commercial products. The results indicated that the synthesized monomer has good curing performance. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 123: 26-31, 2012