Ionic aggregate structure in ionomer melts: effect of molecular architecture on aggregates and the ionomer peak

We perform a comprehensive set of coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of ionomer melts with varying polymer architectures and compare the results to experiments in order to understand ionic aggregation on a molecular level. The model ionomers contain periodically or randomly spaced charged beads, placed either within or pendant to the polymer backbone, with the counterions treated explicitly. The ionic aggregate structure was determined as a function of the spacing of charged beads and also depends on whether the charged beads are in the polymer backbone or pendant to the backbone. The low wavevector ionomer peak in the counterion scattering is observed for all systems, and it is sharpest for ionomers with periodically spaced pendant charged beads with a large spacing between charged beads. Changing to a random or a shorter spacing moves the peak to lower wavevector. We present new experimental X-ray scattering data on Na(+)-neutralized poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) ionomers that show the same two trends in the ionomer peak, for similarly structured ionomers. The order within and between aggregates, and how this relates to various models used to fit the ionomer peak, is quantified and discussed.     

Influence of ionic association on the nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of sodium sulfonate poly(butylene succinate) ionomers

We evaluated the relationship between the ionic substituents and nonisothermal crystallization behavior in poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) ionomers, synthesized by the introduction of sulfonated dimethyl fumarate (SDMF) with sodium sulfonate. In addition, we investigated the effect of sodium ions on the molecular structure of the PBS backbone by solid‐state ²³Na NMR analysis. Sodium ion aggregates (multiplets) was predominately created with the ionic group concentration, and melt rheology and dynamic melt analysis results showed that multiplet formation induced not only remarkable heterogeneity, but also a high degree of clustering in the PBS chains. At low ionic group concentration, well dispersed multiplets behaved as effective nuclei during the crystallization of the PBS ionomer and accelerated the rate of crystallization. As ionic group concentration grew higher, crystallization rates decreased due to hindered chain mobility by clusters consisting of numerous multiplets. A combined Ozawa and Avrami equation proved to be more effective than the Ozawa equation in describing the nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of PBS and its ionomers. The observed nucleation activity indicates that the nonisothermal crystallization rate is not directly proportional to the ionic group concentration. Superior nucleation activity was observed in PBS ionomer containing 1 mol % SDMF. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 925–937, 2008     

Small-angle X-ray scattering studies of zinc stearate-filled sulfonated poly(ethylene-co-propylene-co-ethylidene norbornene) ionomers

The crystallization, melting, and dissolution behavior of zinc stearate (ZnSt) in ZnSt-filled sulfonated poly(ethylene-co-propylene-co-ethylidene norbornene) (SEPDM) ionomers was studied by synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The melting temperature of ZnSt in the ionomer was considerably lower than in the pure state, which was consistent with the existence of very small ZnSt crystalline domains and a specific interaction between the metal sulfonate groups of the SEPDM and the metal carboxylate groups of ZnSt. Temperature-resolved SAXS showed that, on melting, some or all of the ZnSt rapidly dissolved into the ionomer. Ionic aggregates in the neat ionomer persisted up to 300°C. Microphase separation was also observed at elevated temperatures for the ZnSt-filled ionomers, but the composition of the microdomains was believed to be quite different than that of the microdomains in the neat SEPDM. The time and temperature dependence of the ZnSt crystallization in the filled ionomers was characterized by time-resolved SAXS experiments following a temperature quench from the melt. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 3141–3150, 1999     

Dynamic mechanical properties of polystyrene ionomers containing both carboxylate and sulfonate anionic groups

Polystyrene‐based ionomers possessing sodium methacrylate (MA) and sodium styrenesulfonate (SS) units in each polymer chain [poly(styrene‐co‐methacrylate‐co‐styrenesulfonate) (PSMA‐SS)] were synthesized. The dynamic mechanical properties of PSMA‐SS ionomers were studied and compared with those of styrene ionomers containing only MA (PSMA ionomer) or SS (PSS ionomer) units. It was observed that the ionic moduli of PSMA‐SS ionomers depended directly on the total ion content and that the ionic modulus was highest for the PSMA ionomer and lowest for the PSMA‐SS ionomer. The matrix T_gs of the three ionomer systems were found to be similar to each other; the cluster T_g of PSMA‐SS ionomer was higher than that of PSS ionomer at low SS contents but became closer to each other at high SS contents. In addition, the small‐angle X‐ray scattering study revealed that the multiplet size might be in the following order: PSMA‐SS > PSS > PSMA. This implied that at the same ion content, the fractions of cluster regions were smallest for PSMA‐SS ionomer in comparison with those of PSS or PSMA ionomers. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012     

Miscibility of blends of poly(2,6-dimethyl 1,4-phenylene oxide) with polystyrene-based ionomers and copolymers

Blends of poly(2,6-dimethyl 1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPhO) with the copolymer poly(styrene-co-methacrylic acid) (PS-MAA) and the ionomer poly(styrene-co-sodium methacrylate) (PS-MAA-Na), up to 10 mol% co-unit content, were investigated by dynamic mechanical thermal measurements. The PPhO/PS-MAA-Na blends are compared with PS/PS-MAA-Na blends. The blends of PPhO with PS-MAA are no longer miscible at 10 mol% acid content; this is attributed to a copolymer effect induced by the reduction of PS-PPhO interactions due to the presence of the MAA group which does not interact favorably with PPhO. The blends of PPhO with the ionomer are already immiscible at the lowest ion content studied (2.4 mol%), but become increasingly so as ion content is increased. Despite favorable PS-PPhO interactions, these blends are only a little more miscible than the PS/PS-MAA-Na blends. This is attributed to a combination of the increasing importance of the ionomer cluster phase (from which the homopolymer chains presumably are excluded) as ion content is increased, and of a copolymer effect between the homopolymers and the unclustered phase of the ionomer. These results are compared with published data indicating that blends of PPhO with another biphasic ionomer, zinc sulfonated polystyrene, are miscible. The contrasting behavior is rationalized in part by the suggestion that the copolymer effect between PPhO and the unclustered phase of the latter ionomer, but not of the former, is absent; this is related to multiplet structure and sizes. The analysis made of the above systems is extended to predict what might be the miscibility behavior between PPhO and other PS-based ionomer and related copolymer systems. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Mechanical properties and morphology of homoblends of a poly(ethyl acrylate) ionomer having one ion pair per ionic repeat unit and a poly(ethyl acrylate) ionomer having two ion pairs

The mechanical properties and morphology of homoblends of poly(ethyl acrylate‐co‐acrylate) (PEAA) having one ion pair per ionic monomer repeat unit and poly(ethyl acrylate‐co‐itaconate) (PEAITA) having two ion pairs were investigated. It was found that the compositional variation in the ionomer homoblends did not affect the matrix or cluster glass transition temperatures of the two ionomers of the homoblends. It was also observed that the ionomer homoblends showed two ionic plateaus and that the changes in the two ionic moduli were directly related to the relative amounts of the two ionomers. The ionic moduli calculated with the model for filler‐dispersed materials were found to fit the experimental data to a great extent. Therefore, it was suggested that the PEAITA/PEAA ionomer homoblends were filler‐containing composite materials rather than miscible blends. In the X‐ray scattering study, it was observed that the morphology of the ionomer homoblends was not affected by mixing. The results obtained in this work might be useful for the modification of the storage moduli of copolymers in a certain temperature range without the alteration of their processing temperatures. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1045–1052, 2007.     

Biodegradable aliphatic polyester ionomers

A series of polyester-based ionomers containing dimethyl 5-sulfoisophthalate sodium salt (DMSI) with up to 5 mol-% diacid units was synthesized by two-step polycondensation. Furthermore a polylactic acid (PLA) was modified by introducing poly(ethylene-co-methacrylic acid) ionomers with different ion groups, such as Na, Li, and Zn, using the melt blending method. This review examines the effect of the ionic group on the dynamic mechanical properties, melt rheology, crystallization behavior, degradation behavior, and biocompatibility with human dermal cells, as well as the nucleating effect of poly(ethylene-co-methacrylic acid) ionomer in PLA.     

Synthesis by Emulsion Polymerization of Poly(butyl acrylate-co-silver acrylate) Ionomers and Evaluation of their Possible Applications

The synthesis by emulsion polymerization and the characterization by a battery of techniques of poly(butyl acrylate-co-silver acrylate) [poly(BuAc-co-AgAc)] ionomers are reported here. Reaction rates were fast and conversions around 90% were obtained in less than one hour, regardless of the initial ratio of butyl acrylate and silver acrylate employed (BuAc/AgAc = 90/10, 80/20, 70/30). Particle size was in the range of 176 to 200 nm, depending on the BuAc/AgAc ratio. Ionomers’ formation was corroborated by infrared spectroscopy and inferred by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). DSC disclosed that the poly(BuAc-co-AgAc) has two glass transition temperatures: one at ca. ?49°C due to relaxation of the ionomer backbone domains rich in BuAc and another ca. 35°C due to the relaxation of the backbone domains where the AgAc-units content was higher. Young moduli increased as the copolymers became richer in AgAc. Antibacterial tests against Escherichia coli with the 90/10 (BuAc/AgAc) ionomer revealed that the bacteria population diminishes from 5 log CFU/mL to less than 0.3 MPN/mL after one hour of contact with the ionomers. Also, we demonstrated that the ionomers are excellent compatibilizers for making semiconductive films of n-dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid-doped polyaniline (PANIDBSA)-poly(BuAc-co-AgAc) and poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) blends. The electrical conductivity of the blend films, which were homogeneous, rose as the AgAc content in the films increased.     

Structure and properties of dynamically cured EPDM and ionomer blends

The structure and properties of dynamically cured ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM) and ionomer blends have been studied. The blends were prepared in a laboratory internal mixer, where EPDM was cured under shear in the presence of ionomer with dicumyl peroxide (DCP) under different shear conditions. The effects of EPDM/ionomer compositions, DCP concentration and the intensity of shear mixing were investigated using capillary rheometer, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. Two kinds of poly(ethylene-co-methacrylic acid) ionomers containing different metal ions(Na⁺ and Zn⁺⁺) were compared and the effect of the metal ion type for neutralization was considered. The Zn-neutralized ionomer showed better miscibility with EPDM than the Na-neutralized ionomer. It is concluded from the rheological properties, crystallization behavior and morphology that the dynamically cured EPDM and Zn-ion ionomer blends show the behavior of a thermoplastic interpenetrating polymer network (IPN).     

Solution properties of ionomers. I. Counterion effect

The effect of counterions on the solution properties of two types of ionomers, one based on sulfonated polystyrene and the other based on styrene–methacrylic acid copolymer, was studied by viscosity and light scattering measurements. It was found that the order of counterion binding of ionomers in a polar solvent and the order of aggregation of ionomers in a low-polarity solvent were the same for the same ionomer system. However, the order for the sulfonated ionomer was Li < Na < K < Cs, whereas that for the carboxylated ionomer was the opposite. This can be explained by a difference in desolvation during anion–cation interaction and by considering site-binding in a polar solvent and the association of ion pairs in a low-polarity solvent. These findings for ionomer systems are parallel to the association behavior of small ions in water, cation affinity in crosslinked resins, and counterion binding of polyelectrolytes in water.     

含铵根离子等规聚丙烯离聚体的合成及性能研究

合成了一系列高分子量、窄分子量分布且高等规度,含有不同―NR_3~+X~-离子基团含量的聚丙烯离聚体(iPP-NR_3~+X~-).以PP/IUD共聚物作为反应中间体,与三乙胺或N-甲基咪唑氨化得到聚丙烯离聚体.通过离子交换反应制备不同反离子的N-甲基咪唑聚丙烯离聚体,包括双三氟甲基磺酰亚胺根离子(Tf_2N~-)、四氟硼酸根离子(BF_4~-)和六氟磷酸根离子(PF_6~-).热重分析结果发现N-甲基咪唑聚丙烯离聚体的热稳定性明显优于三乙胺聚丙烯离聚体,表明不含β-H的N-甲基咪唑聚丙烯离聚体具有较高的热稳定性.同时,聚丙烯离聚体的表面亲水性得到明显改善.并且,聚丙烯离聚体的断裂伸长率也得到显著提高,最高达到900%.比较不同反离子聚丙烯离聚体的屈服强度和断裂强度发现I~-聚丙烯离聚体具有最优的力学性能.     

Influence of ZnSt2 on structure of acrylate-based ionomers with different lanthanide (La(III)) ion and acid contents

A series of acrylate processing aid（ACR）-based ionomers with different lanthanide（La（Ⅲ）） ion and acid contents were synthesized,and the interaction between ionomer and zinc stearate（ZnSt₂） was investigated immediately after thermally annealing the ionomer/ZnSt₂（3/1 in weight） mixtures at 180℃.The results revealed that the ion groups in ionomer have a strong interaction with ZnSt₂.The annealed mixtures contained hot alcohol extractable and unextractable ZnSt₂.The melting of ZnSt₂ and the thermal behavior of the ionomer in the annealed mixtures were seriously influenced by the contents of La（Ⅲ） and acid in the ionomers.The ionomer containing 0.25 mmol/g acid and 0.37 mmol/g La（Ⅲ） has a detectable cluster phase.Annealing its ZnSt₂ mixture could break down the cluster phase and lower glass transition temperature of the ionomer matrix.However,washing away the extractable ZnSt₂ led to the reappearance of the cluster transition temperature and return of the glass transition temperature of matrix to the original position.     

Modeling electrode polarization in dielectric spectroscopy: Ion mobility and mobile ion concentration of single-ion polymer electrolytes

A novel method is presented whereby the parameters quantifying the conductivity of an ionomer can be extracted from the phenomenon of electrode polarization in the dielectric loss and tan delta planes. Mobile ion concentrations and ion mobilities were determined for a poly(ethylene oxide)-based sulfonated ionomer with Li(+), Na(+), and Cs(+) cations. The validity of the model was confirmed by examining the effects of sample thickness and temperature. The Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann (VFT)-type temperature dependence of conductivity was found to arise from the Arrhenius dependence of ion concentration and VFT behavior of mobility. The ion concentration activation energy was found to be 25.2, 23.4, and 22.3+/-0.5 kJmol for ionomers containing Li(+), Na(+), and Cs(+), respectively. The theoretical binding energies were also calculated and found to be approximately 5 kJmol larger than the experimental activation energies, due to stabilization by coordination with polyethylene glycol segments. Surprisingly, the fraction of mobile ions was found to be very small, <0.004% of the cations in the Li(+) ionomer at 20 degrees C.     

Deformation and fracture behavior of polystyrene ionomer and ionomer blends

The deformation and fracture behavior of sulphonated polystyrene ionomers, and of blends of these with polystyrene have been investigated. The microstructure of the ionomer, which varies with ion content, appears to have a significant effect on mechanical properties. Both tensile strength and toughness increase appreciably at ion contents near 5 mol%, where clusters become dominant over ion pairs and multiplets. In blends of the ionomers and polystyrene, phase separation occurs and the ionomer component appears in the form of fine particles dispersed in the polystyrene matrix. These particles possess a greater effective entanglement density than the matrix, as a result of ionic crosslinking, and they provide reinforcement against early craze breakdown and fracture. Tensile strength and fracture energy increase rapidly as the ionomer concentration in the blend is increased and they become essentially independent of blend ratio above about 10 wt% of the ionomer. Tests carried out on thin film specimens of the blends show that the dispersed ionomer particles adhere well to the matrix and contribute to the fracture energy both by inducing matrix crazing and by internal fibrillation within the particles.Dedicated to Professor Hans-Henning Kausch on the occasion of his 60th birthday.     

Microphase structure of interpenetrating polymeric networks based on polyurethane and polyurethane ionomer

Interpenetrating polymer networks based on polyurethane and polyurethane ionomer were studied using wide-angle and small-angle X-ray diffraction. The polyurethane network is a multiblock polymer based on the trimethylolpropane adduct with 2,4-toluene-diisocyanate and poly(propylene oxide tetrahydrofuran) copolymer. Polyurethane ionomer represents a network formed from poly(propylene glycol) containing three OH side groups, 2,4-toluene-diisocyanate, 2,2′-dimethylethanol-amine, and 1,5-dibromopentene. The network polymers are characterized by structure heterogeneity developed during microphase separation as a result of hard and soft block segregation. The interpenetrating networks investigated are amorphous systems over the whole range of compositions. They form a very complicated structure where the phase separation of polyurethane and ionomer takes place. It is important to note that phase separation leads to the appearance of microphase structure periodicity due to regular arrangements of microregions enriched by one of the components. The latter fact is considered to be a sign of spinodal phase separation at the initial stages.     

Effects of metal ion-carbonyl interaction on miscibility and crystallization kinetic of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate)/lightly ionized PBS

Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) and PBS-based ionomers (PBSi) with 1.0 and 3.0 mol% sodium sulfonate ionic group were synthesized and blended with poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHB-HHx) via direct melt compounding. FT-IR analysis demonstrated that the sodium metal ion–carbonyl interaction between PHB-HHx and PBS ionomer increased in strength with the ionic group concentration. Both non-isothermal and isothermal analyses showed the crystallization rates of PHB-HHx to decrease as the strength of the sodium metal ion–carbonyl interaction increased. However, the constant value obtained for the Avrami exponent indicated that the presence of PBS ionomer did not interfere in any way with the nucleation mechanism or the geometry of the crystal growth of PHB-HHx. DMTA analysis confirmed that PBS ionomer reduced the crystallinity of PHB-HHx, and this phenomenon increased in proportion to the ionic group content. As the ionic group concentration increased, the sodium metal–carbonyl interaction between PHB-HHx and PBS ionomer became much stronger, resulting in the improvement of the miscibility for the blend. The interaction parameter obtained by analyzing the equilibrium melting temperature was negative for all bend systems, with the ionomer having ionic group content, displaying a more negative value. Based on the Lauritzen–Hoffman secondary nucleation theory, the regime of the PHB-HHx/PBS ionomer blend remained unchanged throughout the crystallization process. In addition, both the nucleation constant and surface free energy were found to decrease as both ionomer content and ionic group concentration increased.     

Conductive polymer composites (CPC): influence of processing conditions,shear rate and temperature on electrical properties of poly(butylene terephthalate)/poly(amide12-b-tetramethyleneglycol) – carbon black blends

Conductive Polymer Composites (CPC) have been obtained by blending two immiscible polymers, poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and poly(amide12-b-tetramethyleneglycol) (PEBAX) with carbon black (CB). The extrusion process allows to obtain anisotrope co-continuous structures of various morphologies depending on composition and experimental conditions. It is possible to enhance CPC conductivity with appropriate processing temperature (T_p) and screw speed (Ω), without changing the composition of the blend. The best results are obtained with Ω =5 rpm and T_p=260°C. PBT/PEBAX-CB resistivity evolution with T_p and Ω doesn't follow a linear law as expected from previous studies with poly(butylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene)-CB and poly(butylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene-co-ethyl acrylate)-CB systems. CB distribution has a more important impact on conductivity than polymers phase morphology. A good control of these parameters is essential to reproduce and optimize electrical properties.     

Dispersions of polymer ionomers: I

The principal subject discussed in the current paper is the effect of ionic functional groups in polymers on the formation of nontraditional polymer materials, polymer blends or polymer dispersions. Ionomers are polymers that have a small amount of ionic groups distributed along a nonionic hydrocarbon chain. Specific interactions between components in a polymer blend can induce miscibility of two or more otherwise immiscible polymers. Such interactions include hydrogen bonding, ion-dipole interactions, acid-base interactions or transition metal complexation. Ion-containing polymers provide a means of modifying properties of polymer dispersions by controlling molecular structure through the utilization of ionic interactions. Ionomers having a relatively small number of ionic groups distributed usually along nonionic organic backbone chains can agglomerate into the following structures: (1) multiplets, consisting of a small number of tightly packed ion pairs; and (2) ionic clusters, larger aggregates than multiplets. Ionomers exhibit unique solid-state properties as a result of strong associations among ionic groups attached to the polymer chains. An important potential application of ionomers is in the area of thermoplastic elastomers, where the associations constitute thermally reversible cross-links. The ionic (anionic, cationic or polar) groups are spaced more or less randomly along the polymer chain. Because in this type of ionomer an anionic group falls along the interior of the chain, it trails two hydrocarbon chain segments, and these must be accommodated sterically within any domain structure into which the ionic group enters. The primary effects of ionic functionalization of a polymer are to increase the glass transition temperature, the melt viscosity and the characteristic relaxation times. The polymer microstructure is also affected, and it is generally agreed that in most ionomers, microphase-separated, ion-rich aggregates form as a result of strong ion-dipole attractions. As a consequence of this new phase, additional relaxation processes are often observed in the viscoelastic behavior of ionomers. Light functionalization of polymers can increase the glass transition temperature and gives rise to two new features in viscoelastic behavior: (1) a rubbery plateau above T(g) and (2) a second loss process at elevated temperatures. The rubbery plateau was due to the formation of a physical network. The major effect of the ionic aggregate was to increase the longer time relaxation processes. This in turn increases the melt viscosity and is responsible for the network-like behavior of ionomers above the glass transition temperature. Ionomers rich in polar groups can fulfill the criteria for the self-assembly formation. The reported phenomenon of surface micelle formation has been found to be very general for these materials.     

Deconvolution of scanning transmission electron microscopy images of ionomers

Previously, we studied a variety of ionomer morphologies with scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Other groups have found that deconvoluting STEM images dramatically improve the overall image quality and the detection of sub‐nanometer‐scale features. In this study, STEM images of nanometer‐scale ion‐rich aggregates were deconvolved via the Pixon method with a simulated electron probe. The image models are considerably sharper with significantly decreased noise levels, thus making the size and shape of the ionic aggregates easier to distinguish relative to those in the raw STEM images. Raw and deconvoluted images of Zn‐neutralized poly(styrene‐ran‐methacrylic acid) ionomers containing spherical ionic aggregates indicate that the electron density varies smoothly from the edge to the center of the aggregates. Deconvolution also clarifies the issue of aggregate overlap in the STEM images. Furthermore, line scans across deconvoluted STEM images suggest that the three‐dimensional density distribution of these nanoaggregates compares favorably with a radially symmetric Gaussian distribution as opposed to a uniformly dense sphere. The overall result of this work is that deconvolution of STEM images provide ways in which to better investigate the morphologies of ionomers. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 319–326, 2003