Gradient Nanoporous Poly(ionic liquid) Complex Membrane as Soft Actuators*

This talk deals with nanoporous polyelectrolyte complex membranes by using poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs).¹ PILs are the polymerization products of ionic liquids (ILs) and combine some properties and functions of ILs with polymers. We exploited PILs in the fabrication of nanoporous membranes via electrostatic complexation of PILs with polyacids.² The porous structure results from phase separation of a hydrophobic PIL in water accompanied by ionic crosslinking between PIL and polyacids. The nanoporous membrane carries a gradient profile in the cross-linking density along the cross-section, triggered by the diffusive penetration of ammonia into the PIL-polyacid blend film. The membrane pore size is tunable from nano- to micrometer scale. The membrane features high actuation speed in response to acetone vapor and serves as environmental sensors to detect solvent quality.^3,4
References
1. Q. Zhao, et. al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 135 (2013) 5549.
2. Q. Zhao, et. al.,Nat. Commun. 5 (2014) 4293.
3. Q. Zhao, et. al., Adv. Mater. 27 (2015) 2913.
4. J. Gong, et. al., Adv. Mater. 2017， 29（16），1605103.