LIonomers-New Generation of Ionomer: Understanding of Their Interaction and Structuration as a Function of the Tunability of Cation and Anion

Liutong Hou; Sébastien Livi; Jean-François Gérard; Jannick Duchet-Rumeau

doi:10.3390/polym15020370

LIonomers-New Generation of Ionomer: Understanding of Their Interaction and Structuration as a Function of the Tunability of Cation and Anion

Polymers (Basel). 2023 Jan 10;15(2):370. doi: 10.3390/polym15020370.

Authors

Liutong Hou¹, Sébastien Livi¹, Jean-François Gérard¹, Jannick Duchet-Rumeau¹

Affiliation

¹ Université de Lyon, CNRS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSA Lyon, Université Jean Monnet, UMR 5223, Ingénierie des Matériaux Polymères, CEDEX, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France.

Abstract

In this work, by combining maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (PPgMA) and three different ionic liquids (ILs), i.e., tributyl (ethyl) phosphonium diethyl phosphate (denoted P⁺DEP), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium diethyl phosphate (denoted EMIM DEP), and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (denoted EMIM Ac), new ionic PP/IL polymer materials are generated and denoted as LIonomers. The structuration of ILs in LIonomers occurs from a nano/microphase separation process proved by TEM. NMR analyses reveal the existence of ionic-ionic and ionic-dipolar interactions between PPgMA and ILs within LIonomers. The rheological behavior of such IL/polymer combinations interpret the existence of interactions between maleic anhydride group and cation or anion composing the ionic liquid. These interactions can be tuned by the nature of cation (P⁺DEP vs. EMIM DEP) and anion (EMIM DEP vs. EMIM Ac) but also depend on the IL content. Thermal analyses demonstrate that IL could affect the crystallization process according to different pathways. Thanks to the maleic anhydride/IL interactions, an excellent compromise between stiffness and stretchability is obtained paving the way for processing new polyolefin-based materials.

Keywords: LIonomers; ion and dipole interactions; ionic liquids; ionomers; maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the CSC China Scholarship Council, grant number 201808510284 and the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation (MESRI).