Phase Behavior of Polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) Copolymers in a Selective Ionic Liquid Solvent

Phase Behavior and Structure of Poloxamer Block Copolymers in Protic and Aprotic Ionic Liquids

Ionic liquids are promising media for self-assembling block copolymers in applications such as energy storage. A robust design of block copolymer formulations in ionic liquids requires fundamental knowledge of their self-organization at the nanoscale. To this end, here, we focus on modeling two-component systems comprising a Poly(ethylene oxide)-poly (propylene oxide)-Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) block copolymer (Pluronic P105: EO37PO58EO37) and room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs): protic ethylammonium nitrate (EAN), aprotic ionic liquids (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BMIMPF6), or 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMIMBF4). Rich structural polymorphism was exhibited, including phases of micellar (sphere) cubic, hexagonal (cylinder), bicontinuous cubic, and lamellar (bilayer) lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) ordered structures in addition to solution regions. The characteristic scales of the structural lengths were obtained using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data analysis. On the basis of phase behavior and structure, the effects of the ionic liquid solvent on block copolymer organization were assessed and contrasted to those of molecular solvents, such as water and formamide.

Superionic Bifunctional Polymer Electrolytes for Solid-State Energy Storage and Conversion

Achieving superionic conductivity from solid-state polymer electrolytes is an important task in the development of future energy storage and conversion technologies. Herein, a platform for innovative electrolyte technologies based on a bifunctional polymer, poly(3-hydroxy-4-sulfonated styrene) (PS-3H4S), is presented. By incorporating OH and SO₃ H functional groups at adjacent positions in the styrene repeating unit, "intra-monomer" hydrogen bonds are formed to effectively weaken the electrostatic interactions of the SO₃ ^- moieties in the polymer matrix with embedded ions, promoting rich structural and dynamic heterogeneity in the PS-3H4S electrolyte. Upon the incorporation of an ionic liquid, interconnected rod-like ion channels, which allow the decoupling of ion relaxation from polymer relaxation, are formed in the stiff motif of the polymeric domains passivated by interfacial ionic layers. This results in accelerated proton hopping through the glassy polymer matrix, and proton hopping becomes more pronounced at cryogenic temperatures down to -35 °C. The PS-3H4S/ionic liquid composite electrolytes exhibit a high ionic conductivity of 10^-3 S cm^-1 and high storage modulus of ≈100 MPa at 25 °C, and can be successfully applied in soft actuators and lithium-metal batteries.

Effect of Polymerized Ionic Liquid Structure and Morphology on Shockwave Energy Dissipation

The ability of nanosegregated polymerized ionic liquids (PILs) to dissipate shockwave energy is investigated for a series of imidazolium-based PILs with varying alkyl spacer length. The PILs are designed to have similar glass transition temperatures but different structures. X-ray scattering analysis reveals that each of the amorphous PILs exhibit distinct nanoscale structural heterogeneity, depending on the length of the chain spacer. We find that a higher structural heterogeneity, determined from the intensity of the intercluster scattering peak, in the PILs with longer alkyl spacers results in greater shockwave energy dissipation. In addition, we observe the crystalline phase is less effective at dissipating shockwave energy than the amorphous phase due to the close packed morphology and slow kinetics.

Electroactive Artificial Muscles Based on Functionally Antagonistic Core-Shell Polymer Electrolyte Derived from PS-b-PSS Block Copolymer

Electroactive ionic soft actuators, a type of artificial muscles containing a polymer electrolyte membrane sandwiched between two electrodes, have been intensively investigated owing to their potential applications to bioinspired soft robotics, wearable electronics, and active biomedical devices. However, the design and synthesis of an efficient polymer electrolyte suitable for ion migration have been major challenges in developing high-performance ionic soft actuators. Herein, a highly bendable ionic soft actuator based on an unprecedented block copolymer is reported, i.e., polystyrene-b-poly(1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium-4-styrenesulfonate) (PS-b-PSS-EMIm), with a functionally antagonistic core-shell architecture that is specifically designed as an ionic exchangeable polymer electrolyte. The corresponding actuator shows exceptionally good actuation performance, with a high displacement of 8.22 mm at an ultralow voltage of 0.5 V, a fast rise time of 5 s, and excellent durability over 14 000 cycles. It is envisaged that the development of this high-performance ionic soft actuator could contribute to the progress toward the realization of the aforementioned applications. Furthermore, the procedure described herein can also be applied for developing novel polymer electrolytes related to solid-state lithium batteries and fuel cells.

Ionic Liquids as Additives to Polystyrene- Block-Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Enabling Directed Self-Assembly of Patterns with Sub-10 nm Features

Polystyrene- block-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS- b-PMMA) is one of the prototypical block copolymers in directed self-assembly (DSA) research and development, with standardized protocols in place for processing on industrially relevant 300 mm wafers. Scaling of DSA patterns to pitches below 20 nm using PS- b-PMMA, however, is hindered by the relatively low Flory-Huggins interaction parameter, χ. Here, we investigate the approach of adding small amounts of ionic liquids (ILs) into PS- b-PMMA, which selectively segregates into the PMMA domain and effectively increases the χ parameter and thus the pattern resolution. The amount of IL additive is small enough to result in limited changes in PS- b-PMMA's surface and interfacial properties, thus maintaining industry-friendly processing by thermal annealing with a free surface. Three different ILs are studied comparatively regarding their compositional process window, capability of increasing χ, and thermal stability. By adding ∼3.1 vol % of the champion IL into a low-molecular-weight PS- b-PMMA ( M_n = 10.3k- b-9.5k), we demonstrated DSA on chemically patterned substrates of lamellar structures with feature sizes <8.5 nm. Compatibility of the PS- b-PMMMA/IL blends with the standardized processes that have been previously developed suggests that such blend materials could provide a drop-in solution for sub-10 nm lithography with the processing advantages of PS- b-PMMA.

Block copolymer self-assembly in ionic liquids

Recent developments in block copolymer self-assembly in ionic liquids are reviewed from both fundamental and applied aspects.

Fabrication of size-controlled nanoring arrays by selective incorporation of ionic liquids in diblock copolymer micellar cores

We report the synthesis of arrayed nanorings with tunable physical dimensions from thin films of polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-P4VP) micelles. For accurate control of the inner and outer diameters of the nanorings, we added imidazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs) into the micellar solution, which were eventually incorporated into the micellar cores. We observed the structural changes of the micellar cores coated on a substrate due to the presence of ILs. The spin-coated micellar cores were treated with an acidic precursor solution and generated toroid nanostructures, of which size depended on the amount of IL loaded into the micelles. We then treated the transformed micellar films with oxygen plasma to produce arrays of various metal and oxide nanorings on a substrate. The spacings and diameters of nanorings were governed by the molecular weight of the PS-P4VP and the amount of IL used. We also demonstrated that arrayed Pt nanorings enabled the fabrication of reduced graphene oxide anti-nanoring arrays via a catalytic tailoring process.

Thermodynamics and phase behavior of acid-tethered block copolymers with ionic liquids

We investigate the phase behavior of acid-tethered block copolymers with and without ionic liquids. Two phosphonated block copolymers and their sulfonated analogs were synthesized by fine-tuning the degree of polymerization and the acid content. The block copolymers carrying acid groups with ionic liquids exhibited rich phase sequences, i.e., disorder-lamellae (LAM), gyroid-LAM, gyroid-hexagonal cylinder (HEX), and gyroid-A15 lattice, and the cation/anion ratio in the ionic liquid exerted profound effects on the segregation strength and topology of the self-assembled structures. Additionally, using ionic liquids with excessive cation content was found to enhance the effective Flory-Huggins interaction parameter, χ_eff, of the samples. However, as the anion content of the ionic liquids increased the segregation strength decreased. This is attributed to the packing frustration accompanied by the prevailing repulsive electrostatic interactions of the anions in the ionic liquid and the polymer matrix. As the hydrophobicity of the ionic liquids increased, well-defined ordered phases emerged in the phosphonated block copolymers with increased anion content, contrary to the disordered phases of the sulfonated samples. Thus, the balance between solvation energy of the anions and the electrostatic interactions is a key determinant of the thermodynamics of acid-tethered block copolymers containing ionic liquids.

Anhydrous Proton Conducting Polymer Electrolyte Membranes via Polymerization-Induced Microphase Separation

Solid-state polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) exhibiting high ionic conductivity coupled with mechanical robustness and high thermal stability are vital for the design of next-generation lithium-ion batteries and high-temperature fuel cells. We present the in situ preparation of nanostructured PEMs incorporating a protic ionic liquid (IL) into one of the domains of a microphase-separated block copolymer created via polymerization-induced microphase separation. This facile, one-pot synthetic strategy transforms a homogeneous liquid precursor consisting of a poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) macro-chain-transfer agent, styrene and divinylbenzene monomers, and protic IL into a robust and transparent monolith. The resulting PEMs exhibit a bicontinuous morphology comprising PEO/protic IL conducting pathways and highly cross-linked polystyrene (PS) domains. The cross-linked PS mechanical scaffold imparts thermal and mechanical stability to the PEMs, with an elastic modulus approaching 10 MPa at 180 °C, without sacrificing the ionic conductivity of the system. Crucially, the long-range continuity of the PEO/protic IL conducting nanochannels results in an outstanding ionic conductivity of 14 mS/cm at 180 °C. We posit that proton conduction in the protic IL occurs via the vehicular mechanism and the PEMs exhibit an average proton transference number of 0.7. This approach is very promising for the development of high-temperature, robust PEMs with excellent proton conductivities.

Conductivity Scaling Relationships for Nanostructured Block Copolymer/Ionic Liquid Membranes

To optimize the properties of membranes composed of mixtures of block copolymers with ionic liquids, it is essential to understand universal scaling relationships between composition, structure, temperature, and ionic conductivity. In this work, we demonstrate the universality of relationships developed to describe the temperature and concentration dependence of ionic conductivity in such membranes by comparing the conductivity behavior of mixtures of ionic liquid with two block copolymer chemistries. The conductivities of all the mixtures are described by a single expression, which combines percolation theory with the Vogel-Tamman-Fulcher (VTF) equation. Percolation theory describes the power law dependence of conductivity on the overall volume fraction of ionic liquid, while the VTF equation takes into account the effect of the glass transition temperature of the conducting phase on the temperature dependence. The dominance of the overall volume fraction of ionic liquid in determining conductivity indicates that there is incredible flexibility in designing highly conductive block copolymer/ionic liquid membranes.

Temperature-triggered micellization of block copolymers on an ionic liquid surface

In situ neutron reflectivity was used to study thermally induced structural changes of the lamellae-forming polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) block copolymer thin films floating on the surface of an ionic liquid (IL). The IL, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate, is a nonsolvent for PS and a temperature-tunable solvent for P2VP, and, as such, micellization can be induced at the air-IL interface by changing the temperature. Transmission electron microscopy and scanning force microscopy were used to investigate the resultant morphologies of the micellar films. It was found that highly ordered nanostructures consisting of spherical micelles with a PS core surrounded by a P2VP corona were produced. In addition, bilayer films of PS homopolymer on top of a PS-b-P2VP layer also underwent micellization with increasing temperature but the micellization was strongly dependent on the thickness of the PS and PS-b-P2VP layers.

Temperature tunable micellization of polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) at Si-ionic liquid interface

Highly ordered and stable micelles formed from both symmetric and asymmetric block copolymers of polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) at the Si-ionic liquid (IL) interface have been investigated by scanning force microscopy (SFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate IL, a selective and temperature-tunable solvent for the P2VP block, was used and gave rise to block copolymer micelles having different morphologies that strongly depended on the annealing temperature. The effects of film thickness, molecular weight of block copolymers, and experimental conditions, such as preannealing, rinsing, and substrate properties, on the morphologies of block copolymer micelles were also studied. In addition, spherical micelles consisting of PS core and P2VP shell could also be obtained by core-corona inversion by annealing the as-coated micellar film in the IL at high temperatures. The possible mechanism for micelle formation is discussed.