ERA-CHEMISTRY_Nano-Compartmentalized Polymeric Ionic Liquids as a New Material Platform for Tailoring Responsive Macromolecular Systems

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Our ERA team effort aims at synthesis, structure-property investigations and applications of a new type of nanostructured polymer ionic liquids with micelle-like topologies (NCPIL). We plan to create unique chemically and physically stable nanostructures by joining together hydrophobic liquid polyisobutylenes (PIB) and thermoresponsive polyoxazolines (POX), thus enabling nanostructure formation as well as thermal switching of polarity, solubility, miscibility, and polymer compatibility. The NCPIL effort requires challenging tailoring of highly branched segmented polyelectrolytes. The chemically inert PIB is essential for achieving chemical stability, low glass transition temperature and low viscosity of NCPILs. Exploiting recent advances in living cationic block copolymerizations of isobutylene and selected 1,3-oxazolines enables the better understanding of parameters governing the nanostructure formation, phase behavior, polymer compatibility and thermoresponse. Unlike conventional micelles, NCPILs are shear and temperature stable, thus offering attractive opportunities for their applications in reaction engineering and even as additive in polymer melt processing. Moreover, NCPILs will also be tailored for applications as smart materials such as self-healing elastomer/NCPIL nanocomposites and unique molecular shuttles, enabling reversible phase transfer of catalytically active nanoparticles.