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     

Thermal and ion transport properties of hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymerized styrenic imidazolium ionic liquids

Polymerized ionic liquids (PILs) are a platform for fundamental studies of structure‐property relationships in single ion conductors, with potential applications in energy storage and conversion. The synthesis, thermal properties, and ionic conductivities of homologous, narrow dispersity styrenic PILs are described. Hydrophilic poly(4‐vinylbenzyl alkylimidazolium chloride) (PVBn(alkyl)ImCl) homopolymers with constant average degrees of polymerization were synthesized by post‐synthetic functionalization of a poly(4‐vinylbenzyl chloride) (M_n = 15.9 kg/mol, M_w/M_n = 1.34) master batch with N‐alkylimidazoles (alkyl = ? CH₃ (Me), ? C₄H₉ (Bu), and ? C₆H₁₃ (Hex)). The chloride counterions of PVBnHexImCl were exhaustively metathesized with BF, PF, and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (TFSI^?) to yield a series of hydrophobic PILs. Thermogravimetric analyses indicate that PVBn(alkyl)ImCl homopolymers are unstable above 220 °C, whereas the hydrophobic PILs remain stable up to 290 °C. The glass transition temperatures (T_g) decrease with both increasing alkyl side‐chain length and increasing counterion size, exemplified by T_g = 9 °C for PVBnHexImTFSI. Hydrophilic PILs exhibit high ionic conductivities (as high as ～0.10 S cm^?1) that depend on the relative humidity, water uptake, and the PIL side chain length. The hydrophobic PILs exhibit lower conductivities (up to ～5 × 10^?4 S cm^?1) that depend predominantly on the polymer T_g, however, counterion size and symmetry also contribute. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 49: 1287–1296, 2011     

Preparation of poly(methyl acrylate)/phosphate/composites and its possible use as storage medium for radioactive isotopes

The distribution of ¹³⁷Cs, ¹⁵²Eu, ²³⁸U, and ⁸⁵Sr in a solid/aqueous system (poly(methyl acrylate)/phosphate/composite in contact with groundwater, was investigated using γ-Spectrometry and flourometry. The results were compared with earlier results with mineral phosphate in the solid phase. The effect of contact time, pH and the concentration of concurrent element were studied. The ability of the prepared polymer composites to keep the studied radioisotopes in the solid phase is much higher than mineral phosphate. The used polymer composites have been prepared consisting of natural phosphate powder and the monomer methyl acrylate using gamma irradiation. The yield of polymerization was followed up with respect to the irradiation dose using thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). A thermomechanical analyzer (TMA) was used to locate the area of the glass transition temperatures (T _g ) using the mode with alternative variable force; the mode with constant force was used to determine the T _g of the pure polymer and the polymer composite prepared at the same irradiation dose. The T _g of the pure poly(methyl acrylate) is 13 ± 3 °C, and the T _g of poly(methyl acrylate)/phosphate/composites is 8 ± 3 °C. The T _g were also determined using the DSC technique, and similar values were found.     

Molecular composites made of ionic poly(p‐phenylene terephthalamide) and poly(4‐vinylpyridine): Relaxation behavior

Molecular composites were prepared from several types of ionically modified, poly(p‐phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA) dispersed in a poly(4‐vinylpyridine) matrix. Optical clarity tests indicated that the component polymers of the composite were miscible, at least at low concentrations of the rodlike reinforcement. In composites containing ionic PPTA, where ionic sulfonate groups were attached as side groups either to PPTA chains or to PPTA anion chains, the glass‐transition temperature (T_g) was increased by l0 °C or more, at 5 wt % reinforcement. At concentrations of 10–15 wt % of the ionic polymer, T_g values leveled off or decreased slightly. This suggested that some aggregation of the rigid‐rod molecules occurred. In composites containing ionic PPTA, where the ionic sulfonate groups were directly attached to the phenylene rings of PPTA chains, not only was T_g shifted significantly to higher temperatures, but the rubbery plateau modulus retained high values up to temperatures of 250 °C or above. Observed effects were considered to be the result of strong ionic interactions between the ionic reinforcement polymer and the polar matrix polymer. The possible effects of the counterion on T_g and the storage modulus are discussed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 1110–1117, 2002     

Preparation and characterization of lithium ion conducting ionic liquid-based biodegradable corn starch polymer electrolytes

Thin films of biodegradable corn starch-based biopolymer electrolytes were prepared by solution casting technique. Lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF₆) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate (BmImTf) were employed as lithium salt and ionic liquid, respectively. With reference to the temperature dependence study, Arrhenius relationship was observed. The highest ionic conductivity of (6.00 ± 0.01) × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ was obtained at 80 °C. Based on x-ray diffraction (XRD) result, the peaks became broader with doping of ionic liquid revealing the higher amorphous region of the biopolymer electrolytes. Ionic liquid-based biopolymer electrolytes exhibited lower glass transition temperature (T _g).     

Clustering in carboxylated polysulfone ionomers: A characterization by dynamic mechanical and small-angle X-ray scattering methods

The dynamic mechanical properties and morphology of carboxylated polysulfone ionomers were investigated by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques. It was found that at 25 mol % of ions, ionomers show two glass transitions: one at about 200 °C (the matrix T_g) and the other at about 235 °C (the cluster T_g). It was also found that with increasing ion content up to about 37 mol %, the matrix T_g shifted to higher temperatures and the size of tan δ peak decreased. The cluster T_g did not change. From the results, it is suggested that even at high ion content, the ionomers contain a significant amount of unclustered material, but that the increase in the ion content does not increase the amount of clustered material. SAXS profiles showed the ionic peak, which represents the presence of multiplets in the cluster regions. In addition, the difference in the matrix and cluster T_g's of this ionomer system was found to be about 35°. Thus, it is postulated that ionic group aggregation is subject to steric hindrance owing to the bulkiness of benzene ring, and tension on polymer chains surrounding the multiplet owing to chain rigidity, which limit the size and stability of the multiplet significantly. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 3226–3232, 1999     

Determination of dual glass transition temperatures of a PC/ABS blend using two TMA modes

An inherent challenge with polymer blends is the difficulty in resolving the glass transition, T _g, for the smaller mass fraction component. The objective of this work was to determine the practical scanning conditions for identifying the dual T _g’s for a 75:25 polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (PC/ABS) blend using a thermomechanical analyzer (TMA). Scanning rates up to 20°C min⁻¹ using dilatometer and expansion modes were studied. Heating and cooling rates were found to affect both T _g values but the effects were not simple relationships. T _g values could either increase or decrease depending on the scanning rate applied. Higher rates resulted in large thermal lags which opened the accuracy of measurements to question. Generally, higher rates tended to display only one T _g but the duality of T _g’s can be detected with scanning rates between 0.5 and 5°C min⁻¹ for both modes.     

Kinetics and mechanism of dehydration of kaolinite,muscovite and talc analyzed thermogravimetrically by the third-law method

Summary The third-law method has been applied to determine the enthalpies, Δ_rH_T⁰, for dehydration reactions of kaolinite, muscovite and talc. The Δ_rH_T⁰values measured in the equimolar (in high vacuum) and isobaric (in the presence of water vapour) modes (980±15, 3710±39 and 2793±34 kJ mol^-1, for kaolinite, muscovite and talc, respectively) practically coincide if to take into account the strong self-cooling effect in vacuum. This fact strongly supports the mechanism of dissociative evaporation of these compounds in accordance with the reactions (primary stages): Al₂O₃·2SiO₂·2H₂O(s)→Al₂O₃(g)↓+2SiO₂(g)↓+2H₂O(g); K₂O·3Al₂O₃·6SiO₂·2H₂O(s) →K₂O(g)↓+3Al₂O₃(g)↓+6SiO₂(g)↓+2H₂O(g) and 3MgO·4SiO₂·H₂O(s) →3MgO(g)↓+4SiO₂(g)↓+H₂O(g). The values of the Eparameter deduced from these data for equimolar and isobaric modes of dehydration are as follows: 196 and 327 kJ mol^-1for kaolinite, 309 and 371 kJ mol^-1for muscovite and 349 and 399 kJ mol^-1for talc. These values are in agreement with quite a few early results reported in the literature in 1960s.     

Infrared spectroscopic studies of polymer transitions. III. Effects of sodium ion on glass transitions in styrene-based ionomers

The glass transition in styrene-based ionomers was investigated by means of infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Transition temperatures were determined from the temperature dependence of the peak absorbances of the 1700 and 1745 cm^?1 bands. These transition temperatures agreed with glass transition temperatures (T_g) determined by DSC. With increasing degree of ionization, T_g and the enthalpy ΔH of the residual intermolecular hydrogen bonding increased. The values of T_g obtained were analyzed by the theory of Fox and Loshaek for the effect of crosslinks. It is concluded that sodium ions probably from ionic domains and act as crosslinks to reinforce the residual hydrogen bonding and may increase T_g. The absorbance at 1560 cm^?1 (ν_COO^?) did not change at T_g. This suggests that the glass transition observed here is not due to the onset of the mobility in ionic domains, as has been proposed for ethylene-based ionomers on the basis of dielectric measurements.     

Thiol-yne photoclick polymerization as a method for preparing imidazolium-containing ionene networks

Herein, the thiol-yne photoclick reaction was utilized as a method for synthesizing imidazolium-containing ionene networks whereby a bisalkynyl-functionalized imidazolium [NTf₂] ionic liquid was polymerized with the tetrafunctional thiol PTMP (pentaerythritol tetrakis(3-mercaptopropionate)). The thiol:yne functional group ratio was varied in order to examine the breadth of thermal, mechanical, and conductive properties available from the resulting networks. The stoichiometric 1:1 thiol:yne network exhibited very high thiol and alkyne conversions by FT-IR spectroscopy and a gel fraction greater than 95%. The highest T_g value (3.5°C) and stress at break (1.13 MPa) were also observed for this network. As either thiol or alkyne functional group concentration was increased, the networks were noticeably lower in T_g and stress at break with a modest increase in % elongation. Ionic conductivities were found to be on the order of 10⁻⁹ to 10⁻⁷ S/cm at 30°C. Normalization of the ionic conductivity curves did not lead to a complete collapse meaning that the observed differences in conductivity are not solely dependent upon T_g. When compared to analogous imidazolium-containing, thiol-ene ionene networks, the thiol-yne networks were found to be slightly more mechanically robust, but approximately one order of magnitude lower in terms of ionic conductivity.     

Thermal properties of lignin-and molasses-based polyurethane foams

Lignin-and molasses-based polyurethane (PU) foams with various lignin/molasses mixing ratios were prepared. The hydroxyl group in molasses and lignin is used as the reaction site and PU foams with various isocyanate (NCO)/the hydroxyl group (OH) ratios were obtained. Thermal properties of PU foams were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry (TG) and thermal conductivity measurement. Glass transition temperature (T _g) was observed depending on NCO/OH ratio in a temperature range from ca. 80 to 120°C and thermal decomposition temperature (T _d) from ca. 280 to 295°C. Mixing ratio of molasses and lignin polyol scarcely affected the T _g and T _d. Thermal conductivity of PU foams was in a range from 0.030 to 0.040 Wm⁻¹ K⁻¹ depending on mixing ratio of lignin and molasses.     

Cationic polymerization of a novel oxetane‐bearing ionic liquid structure and properties of the obtained poly(ionic liquid)

An ionic liquid, 1‐ethyl‐3‐(3‐ethyl‐3‐oxetanylmethyl)imidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (OXImTFSI), was synthesized, and its cationic polymerization was examined. The heating of a mixture of 1‐ethylimidazole and 3‐chloromethyl‐3‐ethyloxetane at 90 °C for 48 h yielded 1‐ethyl‐3‐(3‐ethyl‐3‐oxetanylmethyl)imidazolium chloride, which was transformed to a room‐temperature ionic liquid, OXImTFSI, by ion exchange with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI). This ionic liquid was polymerized using boron trifluoride ethyl ether complex as a catalyst to give polyOXImTFSI. Five percent weight loss temperature (T_d5) of polyOXImTFSI evaluated by thermal gravimetric analysis was 409 °C, indicating the high thermal stability. Glass transition temperature (T_g) of the polymer evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry was ?19 °C, indicating the high flexibility of the material. Ionic conductivity of polyOXImTFSI was determined to be 1.86 × 10^?8 S/cm at 23 °C, which was far lower than that of the OXImTFSI monomer (5.05 × 10^?4 S/cm). © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 2986–2990     

Host/Guest Simulation of Fluorescent Probes Adsorbed into Low‐Density Polyethylene, 1. Excimer Formation of 1,3‐Di(1‐pyrenyl)propane

Molecular dynamics and Rotational Isomer State/Monte Carlo techniques with a Dreiding 1.01 Force Field are employed to study the excimer formation of isolated 1,3‐di(1‐pyrenyl)propane and the probe adsorbed into a low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) matrix model. The probability of formation of each molecular conformer at several temperatures was calculated using these theoretical techniques. Conformational statistical analysis of the four torsion angles (ϕ₁, ϕ₂, θ₁, θ₂) of Py3MPy showed that the angles —C—C^ar— (ϕ₁, ϕ₂) present two states c ^± = ±90°; and the angles —C—C— (θ₁, θ₂), the three trans states = 180°, g ^± = ±60°. The correlation of θ₁–θ₂ torsion angles showed that the most probable pairs were g⁺g^– and g^–g⁺ for the excimer‐like specimens, although these angles are distorted because of interactions with the polymer matrix. The temperature dependence of the excimer‐formation probability revealed that this process was thermodynamically controlled in the isolated case. When the probe was adsorbed into the LDPE matrix, the excimer formation process was reversed at T = 375 K. At T >  375 K, the behavior was similar to the isolated case but, at T < 375 K, excimer formation probability increased with temperature as found experimentally by steady‐state fluorescence spectroscopy. This temperature was coincident with the onset of the LDPE melting process, determined experimentally by thermal analysis.     

Poole-Frenkel effect in amorphous poly(p-phenylene sulfide)

The conductivity of poly(p-phenylene sulfide) (PPS) amorphous samples sandwiched between metallic electrodes has been studied as a function of applied voltage, temperature, and electrode material. The voltage (U) dependence of the currents for electric fields within the range 10³–10⁶ V/cm exhibits exp βU^1/2 behavior with β = β_Schottky below the glass transition temperature (T_g ≊ 90°C), and β = β_{Poole-Frenkel} above T_g. Coordinated temperature measurements of dc currents with different metallic contacts and thermally stimulated currents (TSC) indicate, however, that the conductivity at T < T_g is consistent with the so-called “anomalous” Poole-Frenkel effect rather than the Schottky effect. Consequently, the p-type conductivity in amorphous PPS is proposed to be a bulk-limited process due to ionization of two different types of acceptor centers in the presence of neutral hole traps. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

NOTE: Synthesis and Characterization of a Poly(acrylamide) with Pendant 1,4-piperazine-2,5-dione Moieties via Post-polymerization Cyclization

A poly(acrylamide) was synthesized from N ^α -Boc-N ^? -acrolyl-l-lysylglycine methyl ester via radical polymerization. This polymer typically had Mn ～ 100,000 g/mol, Mw ～ 300,000 g/mol, and a T_g of 93°C. Removal of Boc with TFA and cyclization with DABCO? in DMSO at 65°C afforded a soluble piperazinedione-containing polymer that had a T_g of 157°C and thermal stability up to 300°C. These results demonstrate a viable and efficient synthetic route to piperazinedione-containing polyacrylamides of high molecular weight. Related polymers that incorporate substituted indane moieties could be useful high T_g materials for fabrication of LC and NLO devices.     

Polymer thin film properties as a function of temperature and pressure

We report on evanescent wave optical measurements of the glass transition temperature, T_g, of spin-cast PMMA films as a function of film thickness and molecular weight. It was found that for films of high molecular weight PMMA (M_n > 100,000 g mol⁻¹) a strong T_g depression occurs for films that are thinner than 100 nm in case they are deposited on hydrophobic substrates. This strong T_g depression of up to 25°C decreases if similarly thick films of PMMA of low molecular weights are investigated and vanishes completely for PMMA with M_n < 12,000 g mol⁻¹. For films made of these materials T_g is found to be identical to that of the bulk even for films as thin as 5 nm. The results might be interpreted in terms of free volume considerations. To check this assumption we also designed and built a pressure cell that can be used together with the evanscent wave optical techniques for similar measurement, but with the additional option to do the measurements at different pressures up to ca. 100 MPa to further vary the free volume of these polymer films in constrained geometry. Some first results obtained with this setup are also described.     

Surface mobility and diffusion at interfaces of polystyrene in the vicinity of the glass transition

Symmetric polydisperse (M_w = 23 × 10⁴, M_w/M_n = 2.84) and monodisperse (M_w = 21 × 10⁴, M_w/M_n < 1.05) polystyrene (PS), and asymmetric polydisperse PS/poly(2,6-dimethyl 1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO) interfaces have been bonded in the vicinity of the glass transition temperature (T_g) of PS. In a lap-shear joint geometry, strength develops in all cases with time to the fourth power, which indicates that it is diffusion controlled. Strength developing at short times at the polydisperse PS/PS interface, at 90°C, is higher than that at the monodisperse interface, at 92°C (at T_g − 13°C in both cases), presumably due to the contribution of the low molecular weight species. The decrease of strength at the PS/PPO interface when the bonding temperature decreases from 113 to 70°C, i.e., from T_g + 10°C to T_g − 33°C of the bulk PS, indicates a high molecular mobility at the surface as compared to that in the bulk, and can be expressed by a classical diffusion equation, which is valid above T_g (of the surface layer). © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 567–572, 1998     

Block/segmented polymers. A new method of synthesis of copoly(amide-ester)-ester polymer

A new method of preparation of segmented copolymer amide-ester type is described here starting from two oligomers, one hard crystallizable (A) having a glass transition temperature (T_g) above room temperature and the other soft, amorphous (B) having T_g well below room temperature. A, an oligo amide-ester terminated with hydroxyl groups has been synthesized from bis(hydroxy acylo amide) alkane, a reaction product of a lactone and diamine and dicarboxylic acid. B, an oligoester hydroxyl terminated was synthesized by the conventional method. The two oligomers A and B were transesterified removing diol as by-product to obtain segmented (amide-ester)-ester copolymer. The polymer showed mostly two T_gs one at ?40 to ?50°C and other at +40 to +50°C; and one melting temperature 200°C. Max^m inherent viscosity was recorded at 1.75 dL/gm. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Ionic and excited intermediates in pulse-irradiated polypropylene doped with aromatics

A pulse radiolysis study of isotactic polypropylene (PP) film has been carried out with the main aims of investigating charge trapping in an undoped system and solute radical ion generation in an pyrene (Py) doped matrix. In PP, pulse radiolysis gives electron–positive hole pairs. The electron can be stabilized in the undoped system as a trapped electron, e. The transient absorption spectrum of e in the near-IR (up to 1800 nm) was observed in the temperature range 30–100 K. This IR absorption was not detected in the case of oxidized PP. In such a matrix electrons can be scavenged by oxidation products generating respective radical-anions (absorption in the UV RANGE, λ < 350 nm). In a doped matrix transient absorption bands centered at 450 and 500 nm were observed which can be assigned to the Py radical cation and anion, respectively. The recombination of these ionic species leads to monomer excited-state formation observed during and after the 17 ns pulse. Contrary to the Py-doped polyethylene no excimer emission was detected at room temperature even if Py content in PP was close to 0.02 mol dm⁻³. The rate of Py radical-ion decay was found to be temperature dependent. Two linear parts of the Arrhenius plot were observed which intersected at ca. 240 K, the glass transition temperature, T_g, for PP. The activation energies calculated for two parts of Arrhenius plot were equal to 111 and ca. 0.78 kJ mol⁻¹ for T > T_g and T < T_g, respectively. Some preliminary results concerning the ionic processes in PP containing two solutes (Py, 3,3′-dimethyldiphenyl) were presented. The mechanism of ionic recombination in PP will be proposed and discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 1217–1226, 1998     

How does the type of counterion influence the polymerization rate and thermal properties of tailored choline-based linear- and star-shaped poly(ionic liquid)s PILs?

The synthesis of tailored [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]-trimethylammonium chloride (ChMA/Cl⁻) and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonate) imide (ChMA/NTf₂⁻)-based ionic homopolymers by sustainable activators generated by electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method has been demonstrated. Linear and four-arm star-shaped macromolecules were obtained with the use of two synthetic strategies: (a) direct polymerization of ionic monomers with counterions differing in hydrophilicity (prepolymerization) and (2) modification by ion exchange from Cl⁻ to NTf₂⁻ (postpolymerization) using both classical ATRP initiator and pentaerythritol-based initiator. The effect of counterions on the polymerization kinetics and the physicochemical and thermodynamical properties of resulted poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) has been investigated. Results showed that polymerizations of ChMA/NTf₂⁻ proceeded with higher rate in comparison to ChMA/Cl⁻ one independently on the predetermined topologies (linear and four-arm star-shaped). From thermodynamical point of view, the glass transition temperature T_g increased with molecular weight M_n for linear- and star-shaped PILs for both types of counterion. In addition, star-shaped polymers of comparable M_n to linear ones were characterized by slightly higher T_g values. The resulting polyelectrolytes, after modification via exchange of Cl⁻ anions to NTf₂⁻ ones were characterized by much higher T_g in comparison to those produced by direct polymerization of ionic monomer, indicating the crucial role of postpolymerization modification on thermodynamical properties of PILs. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 2681–2691