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Up/Down Tuning of Poly(ionic liquid)s in Aqueous Two-Phase Systems |
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| Authors: | Yuntao Tang Yige Zhang Xi Chen Xiaowen Xie Ning Zhou Dr. Zhifeng Dai Prof. Dr. Yubing Xiong |
| Affiliation: | 1. Key Laboratory of Surface & Interface Science of Polymer Materials of Zhejiang Province, Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310018 China These authors contributed equally to this work.;2. Key Laboratory of Surface & Interface Science of Polymer Materials of Zhejiang Province, Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310018 China |
| Abstract: | Thermally induced reversible up/down migration of poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) in aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs) was achieved for the first time in this study. Novel ATPSs were fabricated using azobenzene (Azo)- and benzyl (Bn)-modified PILs, and their upper and lower phases could be easily tuned using the grafting degree (GD) of the Azo and Bn groups. Bn-PIL with higher GDBn could go up into the upper phase and Azo-PIL come down to the lower phase when the temperature increased (>65 °C); this behavior was reversed at lower temperatures. Moreover, a reversible two-phase/single-phase transition was realized under UV irradiation. Experimental and simulation results revealed that the difference in the hydration capacity between Bn-PIL and Azo-PIL accounted for their unique phase-separation behavior. A versatile platform for fabricating ATPSs with tunable stimuli-responsive behavior can be realized based on our findings, which can broaden their applications in the fields of smart separation systems and functional material development. |
| Keywords: | Aqueous Two-Phase System Phase Migration Photo-Response Poly(Ionic Liquid) Thermo-Response |