In polymer materials, dynamic bonding is a useful approach to generate structurally dynamic, supramolecular polymer networks leading to stimuli-responsive materials, such as self-healing and shape memory polymers. This talk will discuss the synthesis and characterization of ion-containing polymer networks. In one example, hydrophobic polyampholyte ionomer networks were prepared through the free radical copolymerization of a hydrophobic, non-ionic monomer and an ion-pair comonomer. Ion pair comonomers were synthesized through metathesis ion-exchange of an anionic (e.g. sodium styrene sulfonate) and a cationic monomer (e.g. vinyl benzyl tri-<i>n</i>-octylammonium chloride) to produce an ion-pair with two vinyl groups. Under conditions where ion-pairs are formed, the ion-pair comonomer acts as a dynamic crosslinker that can reversibly dissociate/associate. Measurements to characterize the thermo-mechanical behavior of these systems will be presented and discussed in terms of the structure of the polymer network and chemical structure of the ion-pair crosslink.

Synthesis and characterization of ionically crosslinked polymer networks

251st National Meeting (2016)

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