Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry, Vol.53, No.2, 366-371, 2015
Columnar Nanostructured Polymer Films Containing Ionic Liquids in Supramolecular One-Dimensional Nanochannels
Ionic liquids have attracted a considerable attention as the next generation electrolytes for energy devices. We have developed new free-standing and nanostructured polymer films in which ionic liquids are confined into one-dimensionally ordered nanochannels. These polymer films have been obtained by photopolymerization of hydrogen-bonded supramolecular columnar liquid-crystalline self-assemblies of an imidazolium-based ionic liquid and a wedge-shaped diol compound containing polymerizable groups. The macroscopically parallel alignment of the columnar structures on a glass substrate has been achieved by the application of mechanical shearing, and subsequently fixed into polymer films by UV irradiation. This ionic liquid-containing polymer film exhibits higher ionic conductivity than that of the previously reported one-dimensional polymer film obtained by in situ photopolymerization of a covalent-type columnar liquid-crystalline imidazolium salt. The noncovalent supramolecular approach to one-dimensionally ion-conductive polymer films has led to improvement on conductive properties. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015, 53, 366-371
Keywords:amphiphiles;columnar liquid crystal;orientation;photopolymerization;self-assembly;supramolecular structures