Scientific Achievement
The design, synthesis, and characterization of a series of copolymers comprising a poly(ethylene oxide) backbone with discrete linear/cyclic oligo(ethylene oxide) side chains is reported.
Image: Chemical structure of poly(ethylene oxide) backbone with discrete linear/cyclic oligo(ethylene oxide) side chains.
Significance and Impact
New concepts for altering the properties of PEO through the introduction of isomeric oligo(ethylene oxide) side chains with low-cost alternative structures will allow for the development of property-tailored hydrophilic PEO-based copolymers for a variety of materials applications.
Image: Dependence of copolymer solution behavior on crown ether and salt identity.
Research Details
- Linear side-chain functional copolymers exhibited significantly higher ionic conductivity than their crown ether side-chain analogs in solid state.
- The cyclic ether side-chains imparted a tunable response to both specific ion and temperature stimuli in solution.
Geng, Z. et al., Macromolecules. 2020, 53 (12), 4960-4967.
Work was performed at University of California Santa Barbara.