In spite of its huge research interest, ionic polymers could not have been synthesized in vapor phase, because the monomers of ionic polymers contain non-volatile ionic salts, preventing the monomers from vaporization. Here, we suggest a new, one-step synthetic pathway to form a series of crosslinked ionic polymers (CIPs) in vapor phase via initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD). 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) and 4-vinylbenzyl chloride (VBC) monomers are introduced into the iCVD reactor in vapor phase to form a copolymer film. Simultaneously in the course of the deposition process, the tertiary amine in DMAEMA and benzylic chloride in VBC undergo a Menshutkin nucleophilic substitution reaction to form an ionic ammonium-chloride complex, leading to form a highly crosslinked ionic copolymer film of p(DMAEMA-co-VBC). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the synthesis of CIP films in vapor-phase. The newly developed CIP thin film is further applied to the surface modification of the membrane for oil/water separation. With the hydrophilic and underwater-oleophobic membrane whose surface is modified with the CIP film, excellent separation efficiency (&gt;99%) and unprecedentedly high permeation flux (average 2.32×105 Lm-2h-1) are achieved.

One-step synthesis of cross-linked ionic polymer thin films in vapor phase and its application to an oil/water separation membrane

254th National Meeting (2017)

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