Novel polyurethane (PU) cationomers are synthesized using an imidazolium diol‐based ionic liquid (IL) chain extender. A systematic comparison with a non‐ionic PU analogue reveals effect of the imidazolium cation on physical properties, hydrogen bonding, and morphology of segmented PU. Casting resulting PU solutions with various contents of IL generates novel membranes. Thermal study reveals that IL‐containing PU membranes exhibit a constant soft segment Tg at −81 °C; however, the Tg of imidazolium hard segments systematically shifts to lower temperatures with increasing IL content. This suggests that IL preferentially locates into the imidazolium ionic hard domains, which is also evident in small‐angle X‐ray scattering. Moreover, dielectric relaxation spectroscopy demonstrates increased ionic conductivity of PU membranes by 5 orders of magnitude upon incorporation of 30 wt% IL.
Block copolymer-ionic liquid composite materials emerge as promising candidates for electromechanical transducer applications. Herein, a novel imidazolium sulfonate-containing pentablock copolymer-ionic liquid composite was prepared and fabricated into thermally stable electroactive actuators, which exhibit effective actuation response under a low applied potential of 4 V.
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