SYNTHESIS OF AMPHIPHILIC COMB-SHAPED COPOLYMERS USED FOR SURFACE MODIFICATION OF PVDF MEMBRANES

The synthesis of a novel amphiphilic comb-shaped copolymer consisting of a main chain of styrene-(N-(4- hydroxyphenyl) maleimide)(SHMI) copolymer and poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate(PEGMA) side groups was achieved by atom transfer radical polymerization(ATRP).The amphiphilic copolymers were characterized by ~1H-NMR, Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography(GPC).From thermogravimetric analysis (TGA),the decomposition temperature of SHMI-g-PEGMA is lower ...

IONIC CONDUCTIVITY IN THE COMPLEXES OF COMB-SHAPED POLYETHER WITH LITHIUM AROMATIC SULFONATE

Complexes of comb-shaped polyether and lithium aromatic sulfonates bearing different negative charge number were prepared by in situ thermal polymerization. Their conductivity depends deeply on salt content, ambient temperature and negative charge number of the added salts. Results show that anions can be partly immobilized by increasing their negative charges at lower temperature. Against discharge time the short circuit current of the battery (Li/complex film/Li_x V_3O_8) is stabilized by increasing the anionic charge number of the complex.

Conformational Properties of Comb-shaped Polyelectrolytes with Negatively Charged Backbone and Neutral Side Chains Studied by a Generic Coarse-grained Bead-and-Spring Model

A generic coarse-grained bead-and-spring model,mapped onto comb-shaped polycarboxylate-based(PCE)superplasticizers,is developed and studied by Langevin molecular dynamics simulations with implicit solvent and explicit counterions.The agreement on the radius of gyration of the PCEs with experiments shows that our model can be useful in studying the equilibrium sizes of PCEs in solution.The effects of ionic strength,side-chain number,and side-chain length on the conformational behavior of PCEs in solution are explored.Single-chain equilibrium properties,including the radius of gyration,end-to-end distance and persistenee length of the polymer backbone,shape-asphericity parameter,and the mean span dimension,are determined.It is found that with the increase of ionic strength,the equilibrium sizes of the polymers decrease only slightly,and a linear dependenew of the persistence length of backbone on the Debye screening length is found,in good agreement with the theory developed by Dobrynin.Increasing side-chain numbers and/or side-chain lengths increases not only the equilibrium sizes(radius of gyration and mean span)of the polymer as a whole,but also the persistence length of the backbone due to excluded volume interactions.

Comb-shaped 2-Methylimidazolium Poly(arylene ether sulfone) Anion Exchange Membranes with High Alkaline Stability

A series of comb-shaped poly(arylene ether sulfone)s containing pendant 2-methyl-3-alkylimidazolitun group(ImPAES-Cx,x=1,6,10)was prepared and characterized as novel anion exchange membranes.These Im-PAES-Cx membranes were obtained by benzylic bromination and imidazolium functionalization.The characteristic nano-phase separation structure was formed in membranes with longer alkyl side chains,as confmned by small-angle X-ray scattering.The nano-phase separation structures endowed ImPAES-Cx membranes with improved ionic conductivity,dimensional stability(at least 60% decrease water uptake and swelling ratio at 60℃)and mechanical properties,together with excellent alkaline stability.Especially,ImPAES-C6 membranes possessed enhanced hydroxide conductivity and chemical stability simultaneously.These results suggest that it is a feasible strategy to introduce appropriate length of alkyl side chains into anion exchange membranes(AEMs)to improve the performance.

17.13% Efficiency and Superior Thermal Stability of Organic Solar Cells Based on a Comb-Shape Active Blend

With rapid progress,organic solar cells(OSCs)are getting closer to the target of real application.However,the stability issue is still one of the biggest challenges that have to be resolved.Especially,the thermal stability of OSCs is far from meeting the requirements of the application.Here,based on the layer-by-layer(LBL)process and by utilizing the dissolubility nature of solvent and materials,binary inverted OSCs(ITO/AZO/PM6/BTP-eC9/MoO3/Ag)with comb shape active morphology are fabricated.High efficiency of 17.13%and simultaneous superior thermal stability(with 93%of initial efficiency retained in~9:00 h under 85℃in N_(2))are demonstrated,showing superior stability to reference cells.The enhancements are attributed to the formed optimal comb shape of the active layer,which could provide a larger D/A interface,thus more charge carriers,render the active blend a more stable morphology,and protect the electrode by impeding ion's migration and corrosion.To the best of our knowledge,this is the best thermal stability of binary OSCs reported in the literature,especially when considering the high efficiency of over 17%.

Preparation of click-driven cross-linked anion exchange membranes with low water uptake

Significant advancement in anion exchange membrane(AEM)fuel cell(AEMFC)technology is important in the field of renewable energy.AEMs with comb-shaped architectures have attracted considerable research interest because of some unique features,including high anion conductivity,low swelling,and high alkaline stability.Here,we report preparation,characterization,and performance evaluation of a novel comb-shaped cross-linked AEM synthesized by the thiol-ene click and Menshutkin reactions.The prepared ionomer decreases the trade-off between the water uptake and the conductivity.The thiol-ene click reaction was used to synthesize the 1,14-di(1H-imidazol-1-yl)-6,9-dioxa-3,12-dithiatetradecane(IDDT)cross-linker.IDDT was then introduced into the brominated poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide)backbone by the Menshutkin reaction.The prepared ionomers show high thermomechanical stability,which is needed in AEMFC technology.The CLINK-15-100 membrane(ion exchange capacity 1.23 mmol/g)shows relatively good conductivities of 19.66 and 34.91 mS/cm at 30 and 60℃,respectively.Interestingly,the membrane shows water uptake of only 14.22%at room temperature,which is considerably lower than many previously reported membranes.After 16 days of alkaline treatment in 1 M NaOH solution at 60℃,the CLINK-15-100 membrane retains 77%of its initial conductivity,which is much better than the traditional quaternized poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide)membrane.