(164j) Poly(ionic liquid) Star Block Polymers

Poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) block polymers have been investigated as materials in electrochemical energy devices, such as batteries and fuel cells, due to their unique combination of properties, including high electrochemical stability, high ionic conductivity, high mechanical strength, and nanostructured morphology. However, to date, these studies are exclusive to linear block polymers. Star-shaped polymers may be of interest due to recently reported property enhancements compared to their analogous linear polymers. However, there are few studies on ion-containing star polymers, where most previous studies on star polymers are exclusive to neutral polymers. In this work, PIL star block polymers were synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, followed by functionalization and ion exchange metathesis. The PIL star block polymers consisted of styrene and PIL blocks over a range of block compositions. The physical, thermal, chemical and electrochemical properties, as well as the morphology of these polymers were investigated at various compositions and compared to their analogous linear PIL block polymers to evaluate the impact of star polymer architecture on these polymer properties. This work explores the potential of PIL star block polymers as materials in electrochemical energy devices.