Issue 3, 2023

Ion transport on self-assembled block copolymer electrolytes with different side chain chemistries

Abstract

Ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) are used in electrochemical systems for a wide variety of applications, including water purification, mineral recovery, and energy storage and conversion. These materials often dictate the ohmic overpotential drop in electrochemical systems and can have a profound impact on process efficiency. Central to the rationale design of ion-conducting polymers is a fundamental understanding as to how chemical composition and macromolecular architecture influence ion and water transport. Herein, we report the preparation of three microphase separated block copolymer electrolytes (BCEs) with long-range order that have different side chain chemistries in the ionic domain. The side chain variants are alkyl and alkoxy pendants and a zwitterionic group. The side chain chemistries were installed post-assembly of crosslinked block copolymers. Unexpectedly, we observed that more hydrophobic alkyl side chain yields about an order of magnitude greater ionic conductivity when compared to alkoxy and zwitterionic side chains despite similar IEC values and water uptake. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the hydrophilic alkoxy moieties and zwitterion structure coordinate with water making less free water available for mediating ionic conductivity. Conversely, the hydrophobic alkyl side chains give rise to large, interconnected water clusters that promote ionic conduction of the counterion.

Graphical abstract: Ion transport on self-assembled block copolymer electrolytes with different side chain chemistries

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
22 Sept. 2022
Accepted
11 Janv. 2023
First published
11 Janv. 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Mater. Adv., 2023,4, 965-975

Ion transport on self-assembled block copolymer electrolytes with different side chain chemistries

M. V. Ramos-Garcés, D. I. Senadheera, K. Arunagiri, P. P. Angelopoulou, G. Sakellariou, K. Li, B. D. Vogt, R. Kumar and C. G. Arges, Mater. Adv., 2023, 4, 965 DOI: 10.1039/D2MA00919F

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, 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 commercial 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