Ionic Compatibilization of Polymers.

The small specific entropy of mixing of high molecular weight polymers implies that most blends of dissimilar polymers are immiscible with poor physical properties. Historically, a wide range of compatibilization strategies have been pursued, including the addition of copolymers or emulsifiers or installing complementary reactive groups that can promote the formation of block or graft copolymers during blending operations. Typically, such reactive blending exploits reversible or irreversible covalent or hydrogen bonds to produce the desired copolymer, but there are other options.

Aqueous Formulation of Concentrated Semiconductive Fluid Using Polyelectrolyte Coacervation.

Conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs), which combine π-conjugated backbones with ionic side chains, are intrinsically soluble in polar solvents and have demonstrated tunability with respect to solution processability and optoelectronic performance. However, this class of polymers often suffers from limited solubility in water. Here, we demonstrate how polyelectrolyte coacervation can be utilized for aqueous processing of conjugated polymers at extremely high polymer loading.

The Role of Backbone Polarity on Aggregation and Conduction of Ions in Polymer Electrolytes.

The usual understanding in polymer electrolyte design is that an increase in the polymer dielectric constant results in reduced ion aggregation and therefore increased ionic conductivity. We demonstrate here that in a class of polymers with extensive metal-ligand coordination and tunable dielectric properties, the extent of ionic aggregation is delinked from the ionic conductivity. The polymer systems considered here comprise ether, butadiene, and siloxane backbones with grafted imidazole side-chains, with dissolved Li, Cu, or Zn salts.

Using A Spin-Coater to Capture Adhesive Species during Polydopamine Thin-Film Fabrication.

Spin-coating was evaluated as a technique to study events that occur during polydopamine (PDA) thin-film formation. The reaction variants studied included type of oxidant, dopamine (DA) concentration, pH, adhesion time prior to spin, substrate chemistry, and notably, DA solution aging time. A strong oxidant, sodium periodate (SP), and a weak oxidant, atmospheric oxygen were chosen.