LCST-type liquid-liquid phase separation behaviour of poly(ethylene oxide) derivatives in an ionic liquid

We present a new series of polymer-ionic liquid solutions exhibiting LCST-type liquid-liquid phase separation behaviour, and reveal their phase behaviour and intermolecular interactions based on phase diagrams and NMR analysis.     

Enhanced ionic conductivity of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) electrolyte by adding mesoporous molecular sieve LiAlSBA

Mesoporous molecular sieve LiAlSBA was prepared via an ion exchange process with mesoporous AlSBA directly, which has a regular 2D hexagonal structure with pore size about 7 nm. It was added into poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) solid electrolyte as filler. The characteristics of the composite polymer electrolyte were determined by XRD, DSC, TGA, FTIR, PLM and electrochemical methods. Compared with bare PEO electrolyte, the adding of dispersed LiAlSBA powder improved the ionic conductivity of PEO polymer electrolyte more than three orders. The reason for it is that mesoporous LiAlSBA powder acts as crystal cores in PEO composite electrolyte and fines the crystallites, decreases the crystallinity, which provides much more continuous amorphous domain for Li⁺ moving easily in PEO electrolyte. Besides, lithium ions of the mesoporous molecular sieves can hop from one site to another along the surface of the mesoporous channels, this mechanism is absent in the case of common nano-ceramic fillers in PEO electrolyte.     

Preparation and ionic conductivity of poly(ethylene oxide) oligomers having thiolate groups on the chain ends

Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) oligomers having alkali metal thiolate groups on the chain ends (PEO _m -S⁻M⁺) were prepared as an ion conductive matrix. The molecular weight of the PEO part (m) and the content of the thiolate groups in the molecule were changed to analyze the effect of carrier ion concentration in the bulk. In a series of potassium salt derivatives, PEO₃₅₀-SK showed the highest ionic conductivity of 6.42 × 10⁻⁵ S/cm at 50 °C. In spite of a poor degree of dissociation which was derived from the acidity of the thiolate groups, PEO _m -SM showed quite high ionic conductivity among other PEO/salt hybrids. PEO _m -SM had glass transition temperatures (T _g) 20 °C lower than other PEO/salt hybrids. Lowering the T _g was concluded to be effective in providing higher ionic conductivity for PEO-based polymer electrolytes. Received: 30 April 1999 / Accepted: 20 June 1999     

Imidazolium‐based poly(ionic liquid)s with poly(ethylene oxide) main chains: Effects of spacer and tail structures on ionic conductivity

Ten types of cationic glycidyl triazole polymers (GTPs) are prepared from combinations of five alkyl‐imidazolium units (methyl‐, ethyl‐, n‐propyl‐, iso‐propyl‐, and n‐butyl‐imidazoliums) and two spacers [di‐ and tri(ethylene glycol)s]. Since these poly(ionic liquid)s are prepared from the same sample of glycidyl azide polymer by postfunctionalization method, they have the same degree of polymerization. Therefore, the structure–property relationship can be discussed without influence of molecular weight difference. The samples are characterized by NMR, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. The ionic conductivity data are obtained by impedance measurements. The GTPs with the tri(ethylene glycol) spacer and ethyl‐ and n‐butyl‐imidazolium units afford the highest anhydrous conductivity of 1.5 × 10^?5 S cm^?1 at 30 °C. Based on electrode polarization (EP) analysis, we calculate the conducting ion (carrier) concentration and mobility. We discuss the effect of the spacer and N‐alkyl tail structures on the ionic conductivity using the data obtained by EP analysis and X‐ray diffraction. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 2896–2906     

Solubility parameters of poly(sulfonyldiphenylene phenylphosphonate) and its miscibility with poly(ethylene terephthalate)

The solubility behaviors of poly(sulfonyldiphenylene phenylphosphonate) (PSPPP), a very efficient flame retardant for poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), in more than 50 solvents were examined. Its solubility parameters (δ) were determined by the intrinsic viscosity and turbidic titration methods. The two methods obtained consistent results, δ = 21.0–21.6 J^1/2/cm^3/2 and δ = 21.0 J^1/2/cm^3/2, and the three‐dimensional solubility parameters were δ_d = 18.9 J^1/2/cm^3/2, δ_p = 8.8 J^1/2/cm^3/2, and δ_h = 5.9 J^1/2/cm^3/2. The miscibility of PSPPP with PET was estimated by the calculation of the heats of mixing, which were related to the difference between the solubility parameters of PSPPP and PET. Fourier transform infrared was used to examine the interactions between PSPPP and PET macromolecules, which were the internal factors of polymer–polymer miscibility. The results showed that PSPPP and PET were miscible within a very wide composition range, especially with less than 15 wt % PSPPP, a composition of interest for the preparation of flame‐retardant PET. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 2296–2301, 2003     

Vibrational spectra and normal coordinate analysis of isotactic poly(alkyl ethylene)s II. Modification I of poly(propyl ethylene) and its deuterated derivatives

The vibrational analysis of modification I of poly(propyl ethylene), poly(propyl ethylene)-(2,2;d₂), and poly(propyl ethylene)-(1,2,2;d₃) has been performed using the valence force field derived for poly(ethyl ethylene) and the actual molecular geometry. The band assignments are based on infrared polarization and Raman data.     

Thermally driven ionic aggregation in poly(ethylene oxide)-based sulfonate ionomers

A series of sulfonate polyester ionomers with well-defined poly(ethylene oxide) spacer lengths between phthalates and alkali metal cations as counterions are designed for improved ionic conductivity. Ion conduction in these chemically complex materials is dominated by the polymer mobility and the state of ionic aggregation. While the aggregation decreases dramatically at room temperature as the cation size increases from Li to Na to Cs, the extents of ionic aggregation of these ionomers are comparable at elevated temperatures. Both the Na and Cs ionomers exhibit thermally reversible transformation upon heating from 25 to 120 °C as isolated ion pairs aggregate. This seemingly counterintuitive aggregation of ions on heating is driven by the fact that the dielectric constant of all polar liquids decreases on heating, enhancing Coulomb interactions between ions.     

Vibrational spectra and normal coordinate analysis of isotactic poly(alkyl ethylene)s. I. Modification I of poly(ethyl ethylene) and its deuterated derivatives

A new calculation of the vibrational frequencies of poly(ethy1 ethylene) based on the actual molecular geometry was performed. The calculation takes into account new experimental data such far-infrared spectra and Raman spectra of the stretched polymer, infrared spectra of poly(ethyl ethylene)-(2,2;d₂) (P-4-1-d₂) and poly(ethyl ethylene)-(3,3,4,4;d₄) (P-4-1-d₄), and Raman spectra of poly(ethyl ethylene)-(1,3,3;d₃) and poly(ethyl ethylene)-(3,3,4,4;d₄). Refinement produced a set of force constants; it is also applicable to poly(propyl ethylene).     

New neutral and ionic poly(ethylene oxide) networks by radical polymerization

New opportunities resulting from a turn to radical polymerization in the synthesis of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) networks are discussed and exemplified. Several series of such networks have been prepared by radical homo‐ and copolymerization in aqueous media of “macromonomers”, i.e. partly methacrylated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) of varied molecular weight (MW ≅ 2000‐12000) and functionality (f_n ≅ 1.25‐1.8). This family of gels as a whole has the volume swelling degree Q in the range of 10 to 200 ml/ml. The hydrogels are characterized by means of Q, elastic modulus, swelling pressure, and with the use of some probes. The swelling behaviour of neutral hydrogels of this kind is briefly resumed. The multifunctional junctions formed in the propagation reaction of methacrylate end groups determine their main peculiarity. Anomalous elastic behaviour of the swollen networks prepared at high concentration of polymer has been observed and attributed to the network chains stretching of the same nature as in polymer stars or brushes. The junctions' functionality (F ≈ 20‐300) is evaluated from these data as well as from MW of the soluble models of network junctions. The PEO networks with charged units in junctions have been obtained by copolymerization of macromonomers with some ionic (meth)acrylic monomers. These gels display all the polyelectrolyte features, e.g. enhanced Q values in water (up to 50‐70) and, contrary to neutral PEO gels, the strong dependence on salt content. However, the osmotic contribution of mobile ions into swelling is shown to be low due to localization of charges in the junctions. The hydrogels that combine PEO and polymethacrylic acid chains capable of interpolymer complexation have been prepared and studied. They show much higher swelling in pure water (Q up to 200), strong deswelling by NaCl, and very sharp drop in swelling (ca. two order in Q) at pH ≈ 4.5‐5.5 due to complexation.     

Effects of the conductivity of sulfonated poly(phenylene oxide) lithium by the complexation of poly(ethylene oxide)

In the present paper, the structure and conductivity for the complex of sulfonated poly(phenylene oxide) lithium (SPPOLi) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEG) were studied. Glass transition temperature change determined by differential scanning calorimeter analysis desmonstrated that the two components had some compatibility. X-ray diffraction showed that PEG could decrease the regularity of SPPOLi to some extent. The compatibility and PEG's effect on the regularity may be due to the interaction between the lithium ions of SPPOLi and the oxygen atoms of PEG. Under polarization by electric field, the bands between lithium ions and sulfonation groups relaxed. Meanwhile, the complexation of oxygen atoms could enhance the dissociation of the polymeric lithium salts. Then lithium ions were transported in the process of alternate complexing and decomplexing. The action between lithium ions and oxygen atoms could explain the improvement on the conductivity of SPPOLi.     

Restricted self-diffusion in an aqueous solution of poly(ethylene oxide) poly(propylene oxide) poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer

 The self-diffusion behavior of a triblock copolymer (PEO–b– PPO–b–PEO) in an aqueous solution of 20% (m/m) was investigated during a temperature-induced phase transition from liquid to gel state using pulsed field gradient NMR and static light scattering. The measured self-diffusivity shows a strong dependence on the observation time in the gel phase indicating the existence of diffusion barriers in the size range of about 0.6 μm. Additional static light-scattering measurements show a structure in the same size range of several hundred nanometers, which is far above molecular or micellar sizes and thus, has to be caused by larger clusters. The similarity in the space scales suggests that the restriction of molecular propagation is correlated with the grain boundaries between the domains of the poly-crystalline structure formed by the arranged micelles. Received: 28 October 1996 Accepted: 21 March 1997     

Solubility characteristics of poly(ethylene oxide): Effect of molecular weight,end groups and temperature

The general solvation equation $${\text{Log }}L = c + r \cdot R_2 + s \cdot \pi _2^{\text{H}} + a \cdot \alpha _2^{\text{H}} + b \cdot \beta _2^{\text{H}} + l \cdot \log {\text{ }}L^{16} $$ has been used to evaluate the effect of molecular weight, hydroxyl end groups and temperature on the solubility characteristics of poly(ethylene oxide), PEO. In this equationL is the gas-liquid partition coefficient of a series of probes on PEO, and the explanatory variables are solute properties describing the excess molar refraction,R ₂, the probe dipolarity-polarisability, π ₂ ^H , and the probe hydrogen-bond acidity and basicity, α ₂ ^H and β ₂ ^H .L ¹⁶ is the gas-liquid partition coefficient of the probe onn hexadecane at 298 K. Ther·R ₂ andl·logL ¹⁶ terms increased with increase in molecular weight whereas thes·π ₂ ^H and a α ₂ ^H terms decreased; in all cases theb·α ₂ ^H term was not significant. Since thes-constant is a measure of polymer polarity-polarisability, and thea-constant a measure of polymer basicity, we deduce that these polymer properties decrease with increasing molecular weight. Chains with molecular weight below 3000 showed a more rapid decrease in basicity compared to the higher molecular weight species. Thes·π ₂ ^H ,a·α ₂ ^H andl·logL ¹⁶ terms all decreased with increase in temperature. Finally, the contribution of the terminal hydroxyl groups to the total polymer basicity was evaluated and discussed.     

Interaction between poly(ethylene glycol) and two surfactants investigated by diffusion coefficient measurements

Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and fluorescence recovery after pattern photobleaching (FRAPP) were used to study the interaction of low molecular weight poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) with micelles of two different surfactants: tetradecyldimethyl aminoxide (C(14)DMAO, zwitterionic) and pentaethylene glycol n-dodecyl monoether (C(12)E(5), non-ionic). By using an amphiphilic fluorescent probe or a fluorescent-labeled PEG molecule, FRAPP experiments allowed to follow the diffusion of the surfactant-polymer complex either by looking at the micelle diffusion or at the polymer diffusion. Experiments performed with both fluorescent probes gave the same diffusion coefficient showing that the micelles and the polymer form a complex in dilute solutions. Similar experiments showed that PEG interacts as well with pentaethylene glycol n-dodecyl monoether (C(12)E(5)).     

Dielectric and conductivity processes in poly(ethylene terephthalate) and poly(ethylene naphthalate) homopolymers and copolymers

Electrical relaxation and conductivity processes in amorphous and semicrystalline poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(ethylene naphthalate) (PEN) homopolymers and certain PET/PEN copolymers have been studied by means of dielectric spectroscopy. Homopolymers and copolymers able to crystallize were subjected to successive thermal runs to investigate the influence of the thermal history upon the morphology and the electrical behavior of the polymeric systems. The morphology of the untreated as well as the heat‐treated specimens was determined by means of Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). All samples exhibit β‐relaxation process, due to local motions of the C?O polar side groups, and α‐relaxation process associated to the glass/rubber transition. In the PEN spectrum an additional, subglass, mode was recorded, most probably attributed to cooperative motions of the naphthalene groups. Finally, the dynamic nature of the crystallization process is expressed via the over glass transition mode and the temperature dependence of dc conductivity recorded in amorphous PET, PEN, and PET/PEN (85/15) (wt/wt) samples. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3078–3092, 2006     

Dipole moments of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(hexamethylene oxide) chains

The mean-square dipole moments of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(hexamethylene oxide) chains have been determined from dielectric constant measurements on dilute solutions of the polymers in benzene. The values obtained are in good agreement with those predccted using the rotational isomeric state models for these chains. In addition, the unperturbed dimensions of poly(hexamethylene oxide) have been calculated as a function of molecular weight, using the isomeric state theory.     

Rubidium impurity diffusion in a poly(ethylene oxide)-sodium iodide polymer electrolyte

Diffusion of the radioisotope (86)Rb in an amorphous polymer-salt complex consisting of poly(ethylene oxide) and sodium iodide was found to be faster at all temperatures investigated than tracer self-diffusion of the smaller alkali metal cation (22)Na. This is the striking result of the first study on impurity diffusion in a polymer electrolyte system and a comparison with ionic self-diffusion and conductivity data previously obtained from the same system. The experimental findings can be rationalized within an ion transport model based on the occurrence of charged single ions and neutral ion pairs. Simultaneous analysis of all data revealed that the diffusivity of Rb(+) is likely to be lower than that of Na(+). Similarly, the diffusivity of RbI(0) pairs was found to be smaller than that of NaI(0) pairs. Surprisingly, the faster overall transport of Rb as measured by radiotracer diffusion appears to be due to a relatively large fraction of RbI pairs, in conjunction with the finding that the ion pair diffusivities exceed the single cation diffusivities by 2 orders of magnitude.     

Solubility and partial molar volume of carbon dioxide and ethane in crosslinked poly(ethylene oxide) copolymer

Experimental solubility and sorptive dilation data are reported for carbon dioxide and ethane in a crosslinked poly(ethylene oxide) (XLPEO) rubbery copolymer. Five different temperatures (253 ≤ T(K) ≤ 308) were considered, with a maximum gas pressure of 2.09 MPa (20.6 atm). The polymer was prepared by photopolymerization of a solution containing 70 wt % poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (PEGMEA) and 30 wt % poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA). Sorption isotherms were described by the Flory‐Huggins model. For each gas, the Flory‐Huggins interaction parameter was a decreasing function of temperature and did not show a composition dependence. Dilation and sorption data were combined to calculate the partial molar volume (PMV) of the gases in the polymer, which was an increasing function of temperature. Based on a comparison with literature data for a XLPEO homopolymer prepared from pure PEGDA over the same range of operating conditions, an effect of the network composition on both gas solubility and PMV was found. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 456–468, 2010     

Characterization and demulsification of poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(propylene oxide)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) copolymers

Four poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(propylene oxide)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) copolymers with different molecular weights and PPO/PEO composition ratios were synthesized. The characterization of the PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymers was studied by surface tension measurement, UV-vis spectra, and surface pressure method. These results clearly showed that the CMC of PEO-PPO-PEO was not a certain value but a concentration range, in contrast to classical surfactant, and two breaks around CMC were reflected in both surface tension isotherm curves and UV-vis absorption spectra. The range of CMC became wider with increasing PPO/PEO composition ratio. Surface pressure Pi-A curves revealed that the amphiphilic triblock copolymer PEO-PPO-PEO molecule was flexible at the air/water interface. We found that the minimum area per molecule at the air/water interface increased with the proportion of PEO chains. The copolymers with the same mass fractions of PEO had similar slopes in the isotherm of the Pi-A curve. From the demulsification experiments a conclusion had been drawn that the dehydration speed increased with decreased content of PEO, but the final dehydration rate of four demulsifiers was approximate. We determined that the coalescence of water drops resulted in the breaking of crude oil emulsions from the micrograph.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(ethylene oxide)/polylactide/poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer

Poly(ethylene oxide/polylactide/poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO/PL/PEO) triblock copolymers, in which each block is connected by an ester bond, were synthesized by a coupling reaction between PL and PEO. Hydroxyl‐terminated PLs with various molecular weights were synthesized and used as hard segments. Hydroxyl‐terminated PEOs were converted to the corresponding acid halides via their acid group and used as a soft segment. Triblock copolymers were identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ¹H NMR, and gel permeation chromatography. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X‐ray diffractometry of PEO/PL/PEO triblock copolymers suggested that PL and PEO blocks were phase‐separated and that the crystallization behavior of the PL block was markedly affected by the presence of the PEO block. PEO/PL/PEO triblock copolymers with PEO 0.75k had two exothermic peaks (by DSC), and both peaks were related to the crystallization of PL. According to thermogravimetric analysis, PEO/PL/PEO triblock copolymer showed a higher thermal stability than PL or PEO. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2545–2555, 2002