Zwitterion-Containing Ionogel Electrolytes

Zwitterionic Copolymer‐Supported Ionogel Electrolytes: Impacts of Varying the Zwitterionic Group and Ionic Liquid Identities

“…As described in our first zwitterion-containing copolymersupported ionogel report, [41] the mechanical properties of this class of ionogels are determined by a combination of both covalent (due to PETA-4) and noncovalent (i. e. ZI dipole-dipole) cross-links. Figure 2a displays three SBVI-containing EMI TFSI ionogel samples having zwitterion contents of 1 mol %, 4 mol %, or 7 mol % SBVI; each sample was prepared by UV curing its precursor solution inside of a cylindrical mold with fixed dimensions (6.4 mm diameter × 3.2 mm height).…”

“…All gel precursor solutions contained 80 mol % ionic liquid; in order to ensure gelation and obtain visually homogeneous samples, the copolymer scaffold-forming components (totaling 20 mol %) consisted of 1.5 mol % pentaerythritol tetraacrylate (PETA-4), with the remaining 18.5 mol % comprised of varying amounts of the ZI monomer of interest (SBVI or MPC) and the non-zwitterionic monomer 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate (TFEMA). [41,43] Figure 1c displays an illustrative cartoon representation of a zwitterion-containing poly(TFEMAco-MPC-co-PETA-4) scaffold that provides structural support to the surrounding ionic liquid, forming a composite ionogel electrolyte. Consistent with the highly efficient nature of free radical photopolymerization in ionic liquids, [53] we do not find any detectable evidence of unreacted monomers in these types of ionogels after UV curing.…”

“…a) Chemical structures of: zwitterionic (ZI) monomers SBVI and MPC, non-ZI co-monomer TFEMA, and tetrafunctional covalent cross-linker PETA-4. [41] It should be emphasized that the quantity of covalent cross-linker (PETA-4) in all of the ionogel formulations examined here was held constant at 1.5 mol %. b) Chemical structures of ionic liquid ions: EMI + cation, TFSI À anion, and TCB À anion.…”

“…[34] While the mobile ion concentration is easily controlled within aqueous electrolytes featuring well-solvated ions, it is known that extensive ion pairing or clustering can limit the number of effectively mobile ionic species within highly ion-dense ionic liquid electrolytes. [25] Due to their extremely large dipole moments, [37] zwitterionic (ZI) moieties have been demonstrated to interact strongly with ions and promote ion pair dissociation, boosting electrolyte ionic conductivity, [38][39][40][41] which makes ZI (co)polymers especially interesting scaffold materials for gel electrolytes. [25] Due to their extremely large dipole moments, [37] zwitterionic (ZI) moieties have been demonstrated to interact strongly with ions and promote ion pair dissociation, boosting electrolyte ionic conductivity, [38][39][40][41] which makes ZI (co)polymers especially interesting scaffold materials for gel electrolytes.…”

“…[35,36] Thoughtful design of specific ion-polymer interactions, however, has been successfully shown as one potential strategy to improve ion pair dissociation within ionogel electrolytes. [41][42][43][44][45][46][47] While several studies have elaborated the use of ZI polymers for hydrogel materials, primarily selected because of their antifouling character, biocompatibility, or self-healing attributes, [46,48,49] there are relatively few reports on ZI polymersupported nonaqueous gel electrolytes. [41][42][43][44][45][46][47] While several studies have elaborated the use of ZI polymers for hydrogel materials, primarily selected because of their antifouling character, biocompatibility, or self-healing attributes, [46,48,49] there are relatively few reports on ZI polymersupported nonaqueous gel electrolytes.…”