Issue 39, 2018

Block copolymer self-assembly in ionic liquids

Abstract

Ionic liquids (ILs), solely composed of cations and anions, are regarded as a novel class of promising liquids, potentially applicable to energy devices, reaction media, separation materials, etc. ILs have also attracted great attention as new media for molecular self-assembly, capable of producing novel soft materials with unique features never observed for conventional soft materials containing organic and aqueous solvents. In this review, we focus on recent developments in block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly in ILs. Self-assembled structures formed by dilute and concentrated BCP solutions in ILs are discussed in detail. Ion gels formed by BCP self-assembly have received special interest because they exhibit excellent physical properties of tunable viscoelasticity and solution processability without impairing the intrinsic properties of ILs, such as nonvolatility, nonflammability, and high ionic conductivity. Applications of ion gels based on BCP self-assembly for electric double layer capacitors, lithium-ion batteries, and electroactive soft actuators are also addressed.

Graphical abstract: Block copolymer self-assembly in ionic liquids

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
02 Jūl. 2018
Accepted
06 Aug. 2018
First published
06 Aug. 2018

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2018,20, 25123-25139

Block copolymer self-assembly in ionic liquids

R. Tamate, K. Hashimoto, T. Ueki and M. Watanabe, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2018, 20, 25123 DOI: 10.1039/C8CP04173C

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements