Block polymers provide a remarkably versatile platform for achieving desired nanostructures by self-assembly, with lengthscales varying from a few nanometers up to several hundred nanometers. Ionic liquids are an emerging class of solvents with an appealing set of physical attributes. These include negligible vapor pressure, high chemical and thermal stability, tunable solvation properties, high ionic conductivity, and wide electrochemical windows. For various applications it will be advantageous to partition the ionic liquid into coexisting phases, such as microemulsions and micelles. Polymer systems that show thermoreversible and/or photoreversible transitions in ionic liquids will be highlighted. Examples include the “micelle shuttle”, whereby intact micelles transfer reversibly between an aqueous phase and an ionic liquid as a function of temperature, and ionic liquid containing vesicle nanoreactors but dispersed in water.

Stimuli responsive block polymer micelles in ionic liquids

250th National Meeting (2015)

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