| Abstract: | We describe the lower critical solution temperature (LCST)-type phase behavior of poly(butyl acrylate) (PBA) dissolved in hydrophobic 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bis{(trifluoromethyl) sulfonyl}amide ionic liquids (ILs).The temperature-composition phase diagrams of these PBA/ILs systems are strongly asymmetric with the critical composition shifted to low concentrations of PBA.As the molecular weight increases from 5.0×103 to 2.0×104,the critical temperature decreases by about 67 ℃,and the critical composition shifts to a lower concentration.Furthermore,the LCST of PBA/ILs system increases as increasing the alkyl side chain length in the imidazolium cation.Using IL blends as solvents,the LCST of PBA can be tuned almost linearly over a wide range by varying the mixing ratio of two ionic liquids without modifying the chemical structure of the polymers. |
