Jannick DUCHET-RUMEAU1, Sebastien LIVI1, Jean-François GERARD1, Liutong HOU1
1IMP UMR CNRS 5223, Villeurbanne, France
In polymer science, developing pathways to design and tune properties of existing materials is a major challenge. The main routes to modify such properties involve either the physical structuration providing from phase separation, or from the formulation with additives generating additional physical or chemical interactions with polymer. The use of ionic liquids (ILs) represents a novel route to modify the structure and properties of polymers. Ionic liquids have already shown promising capabilities to generate a nanoscale structuration in polar polymers such as fluorinated copolymers [1] or bio-based polymers [2] in which a tunable effect on the crystallization behavior, on the resulting morphology and on the crystalline phase structure have been reported. LIonomer is a new generation of ionomer designed by combining polypropylene grafted maleic anhydride (PPgMA) and ionic liquids [3]. The short range interactions limit the movement ability of polypropylene chains and lead to the increase of melting viscosity. This continuum of interactions COO-/cation is all the more promoted than cation is less sterically hindered and can ionically interact with carboxylic anions. The morphology in relation with mechanical property was systematically investigated by exploring the effect of COO- content, ILs concentration and the nature of ionic liquid. The ability of ionic liquids to change the morphology and the rheology paves the way for processing new materials like films or foams. This talk will illustrate the dual role of ionic liquids as structuring agent either i) through phase separation phenomena or ii) via the establishment of short-range ionic interactions in LIonomers.
References
[1]. 1. J.Yang, S.Pruvost, S. Livi, J. Duchet-Rumeau, Understanding of versatile and tunable nanostructuration of ionic liquids on fluorinated copolymer, Macromolecules, 2015, 48 4581.
[2]. L. Lins, S. Livi, J. Duchet-Rumeau, J-F. Gérard, Phosphonium ionic liquids as new compatibilizing agents of biopolymer blends composed of poly(butylene-adipate-co-terephtalate)/poly(lactid acid) (PBAT/PLA), RSC Advances, 2015, 5, 59082.
[3]. L.Hou, JF Gérard, S. Livi, J.Duchet-Rumeau Lionomers-New Generation of Ionomer : Understanding of their interaction and structuration as a function of the tunability of cation and anion (in press).