Influence of counteranion and humidity on the thermal, mechanical and conductive properties of covalently crosslinked ionenes

Proton-electron coupling and mixed conductivity in a hydrogen-bonded coordination polymer

The fundamental understanding of coupled proton-electron transport in mixed protonic-electronic conductors (MPECs) remains unexplored in materials science, despite its potential significance within the broader context of mixed ionic-electronic conductors (MIECs) and the possibility of controlled diffusion of protons using hydrogen-bond networks. To address these limitations, we present a hydrogen-bonded coordination polymer Ni-BAND ({[Ni(bpy)(H2O)2(DMF)2](NO3)2·2DMF}n), which demonstrates high mixed protonic-electronic conductivity at room temperature. Through detailed analysis, we unravel the coupled transport mechanism, offering insights for the rational design of high-performance MPECs. We demonstrate the practical implications of this mechanism by examining the humidity-dependent synaptic plasticity of Ni-BAND, showcasing how MPECs can expand into traditional MIEC applications while leveraging their unique proton-mediated advantages.

Polymerized and Colloidal Ionic Liquids─Syntheses and Applications

The breadth and importance of polymerized ionic liquids (PILs) are steadily expanding, and this review updates advances and trends in syntheses, properties, and applications over the past five to six years. We begin with an historical overview of the genesis and growth of the PIL field as a subset of materials science. The genesis of ionic liquids (ILs) over nano to meso length-scales exhibiting 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D topologies defines colloidal ionic liquids, CILs, which compose a subclass of PILs and provide a synthetic bridge between IL monomers (ILMs) and micro to macro-scale PIL materials. The second focus of this review addresses design and syntheses of ILMs and their polymerization reactions to yield PILs and PIL-based materials. A burgeoning diversity of ILMs reflects increasing use of nonimidazolium nuclei and an expanding use of step-growth chemistries in synthesizing PIL materials. Radical chain polymerization remains a primary method of making PILs and reflects an increasing use of controlled polymerization methods. Step-growth chemistries used in creating some CILs utilize extensive cross-linking. This cross-linking is enabled by incorporating reactive functionalities in CILs and PILs, and some of these CILs and PILs may be viewed as exotic cross-linking agents. The third part of this update focuses upon some advances in key properties, including molecular weight, thermal properties, rheology, ion transport, self-healing, and stimuli-responsiveness. Glass transitions, critical solution temperatures, and liquidity are key thermal properties that tie to PIL rheology and viscoelasticity. These properties in turn modulate mechanical properties and ion transport, which are foundational in increasing applications of PILs. Cross-linking in gelation and ionogels and reversible step-growth chemistries are essential for self-healing PILs. Stimuli-responsiveness distinguishes PILs from many other classes of polymers, and it emphasizes the importance of segmentally controlling and tuning solvation in CILs and PILs. The fourth part of this review addresses development of applications, and the diverse scope of such applications supports the increasing importance of PILs in materials science. Adhesion applications are supported by ionogel properties, especially cross-linking and solvation tunable interactions with adjacent phases. Antimicrobial and antifouling applications are consequences of the cationic nature of PILs. Similarly, emulsion and dispersion applications rely on tunable solvation of functional groups and on how such groups interact with continuous phases and substrates. Catalysis is another significant application, and this is an historical tie between ILs and PILs. This component also provides a connection to diverse and porous carbon phases templated by PILs that are catalysts or serve as supports for catalysts. Devices, including sensors and actuators, also rely on solvation tuning and stimuli-responsiveness that include photo and electrochemical stimuli. We conclude our view of applications with 3D printing. The largest components of these applications are energy related and include developments for supercapacitors, batteries, fuel cells, and solar cells. We conclude with our vision of how PIL development will evolve over the next decade.

Polymerizable deep eutectic solvent treated lignocellulose: Green strategy for synergetic production of tough strain sensing elastomers and nanocellulose

Liquid free ion-conductive elastomers (ICEs) have demonstrated promising potential in various advanced application scenarios including sensor, artificial skin, and human-machine interface. However, ICEs that synchronously possess toughness, adhesiveness, stability, and anti-bacterial capability are still difficult to achieve yet highly demanded. Here, a one-pot green and sustainable strategy was proposed to fabricate multifunctional ICEs by extracting non-cellulose components (mainly lignin and hemicellulose) from lignocellulose with polymerizable deep eutectic solvents (PDES) and the subsequent in-situ photo-polymerization process. Ascribing to the uniform dispersion of non-cellulose components in PDES, the resultant ICEs demonstrated promising mechanical strength (a tensile strength of ~1200 kPa), high toughness (~9.1 MJ m-3), favorable adhesion (a lap-shear strength up to ~61.5 kPa toward metal), conducive stabilities, and anti-bacterial capabilities. With the help of such advantages, the ICEs exhibited sensitive (a gauge factor of ~23.5) and stable (~4000 cycles) performances in human motion and physiological signal detection even under sub-zero temperatures (e.g., -20 °C). Besides, the residue cellulose can be mechanically isolated into nanoscale fibers, which matched the idea of green chemistry.