Journal of Physical Chemistry B, Vol.122, No.5, 1730-1737, 2018
Morphology of Anion-Conducting lonenes Investigated by X-ray Scattering and Simulation
We have studied the morphology of a novel series of benzimidazole-based ionenes, methylated poly(hexamethyl-p-terphenylbenzimidazolium) (HMT-PMBI), in halide form. Materials with anion-exchange capacities ranging from 0 to 2.5 mequiv/g were studied. X-ray scattering reveals three length scales in the materials: ion-polymer spacing (4 angstrom), polymer-polymer interchain spacing (6 angstrom), and an intrachain repeat distance (20 angstrom). No long-range structure is apparent above the monomer length, which is rare in ion conducting polymer membranes. In preliminary molecular dynamics simulations, water molecules were observed forming chains between ions, even at a modest level of hydration, providing an interpenetrating network where conductivity can occur.