1. Sulfonated Block Copolymers Containing Glassy Hydrophobic Blocks
Investigation of the Relationships Between the Morphology and Transport Properties of
Sulfonated Block Copolymers Containing Glassy Hydrophobic Blocks
Kevin Cavicchi, Department of Polymer Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH
Ion-exchange membranes are used in applications, such as fuel cells and water purification. An ideal membrane architecture contains concentrated ionic domains for good transport that are confined to control swelling and maximize the selectivity between similar solvents, such as water and alcohols.
A new polymeric organogelator has been developed using a polyelectrolyte surfactant complex (PSC) of a sulfonated polymer and a long chain alkyl amine. When dissolved in an organic solvent at elevated temperature and cooled, macroscopic gelation of the system is observed. This is due to the formation of a three-dimensional network of the PSC in solution. This network is being explored as a template for new membranes, by gelation of a monomer, polymerization of the gel, and selective extraction of the surfactant to leave polyelectrolyte lined pores. This approach is quite flexible through the pairing of commercially available polyelectrolytes and surfactants.