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A novel precision single-ion conductor with phenylsulfonyl(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide lithium salt covalently bound to every fifth carbon of a polyethylene backbone, p5PhTFSI-Li, was synthesized via ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) followed by post polymerization modification. The conversion of poly(4-phenylcyclopentene), bearing 94% sulfonate anions, to trifluoromethanesulfonimide (TFSI) anions was highly efficient (∼90%) as determined by 19 F NMR analysis and corroborated through other spectroscopic methods. The flexible hydrocarbon backbone combined with a bulky TFSI anion led to an observable glass transition temperature of 199 °C even at these high levels of ionization. A high thermal stability up to 375 °C was also observed. Blending of p5PhTFSI-Li with poly(ethylene oxide) at various compositions was performed to investigate electrochemical performance and transference numbers with respect to the lithium electrode using a combination of impedance and polarization methods. At 90 °C and a 50 : 50 wt% blend composition, this system displayed the highest reported conductivity (2.00 × 10 −4 S cm −1 ) of a system with a demonstrated lithium-ion transference number near unity. Such performance is also atypical of single ion conductors produced through post-polymerization modification, which we attribute to the high yield of TFSI conversion. Investigations into the complex miscibility and phase behavior of these blends at various compositions was also probed by a combination of microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry, which is discussed with reference to computational predictions of how charge correlations affect polymer blend phase behavior. 

Single‐ion conducting polymer electrolytes are of interest for use with advanced battery electrodes such as lithium metal, but achieving sufficiently high conductivity has been challenging. In this work, a model system containing charged sites that are precisely spaced along the polymer backbone is explored. Precision sulfonated poly(4‐phenylcyclopentene) lithium salt (p5PhS‐Li) with a high degree of sulfonation (> 90%) is synthesized and blended with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) to investigate the thermodynamic and transport properties. Melting point depression is measured via differential scanning calorimetry, ionic conductivity,κ, is determined using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and the fraction of current carried by Li⁺is estimated based on steady‐state current measurements. In conjunction with a density measurement, melting point depression is used to find an effective Flory–Huggins interaction parameter,χ_eff=   − 0.21, suggesting miscibility of the blend.κspans a large range from 2 × 10⁻¹¹to 2 × 10⁻⁷S cm⁻¹over the composition and temperature range investigated. The fraction of charge carried by lithium ions also spans a significant range from 0.12 in majority PEO blend to 0.98 in majorityp5PhS‐Li blend. This study addresses several limitations of sulfonated polystyrene and opens up the possibility of precisely controlling the spacing of other anion types.

 

An experimental approach is presented for identifying the scaling laws for polymer chains grafted onto gold nanoparticles. Poly(ethylene oxide) of various molecular weights are grafted onto gold nanoparticles via thiol end‐functional groups. The polymer‐grafted nanoparticles are self‐assembled into monolayers from solvents of different quality. Over a significant range of graft densities, nanoparticle monolayers deposited from good (athermal) solvent exhibit particle spacing that scales according to theoretical predictions for chains in dilute solution. This unexpected result for ordered nanoparticle monolayers is discussed in the context of the deposition process. In monolayers deposited from theta solvent, molecular weight scaling of particle spacing breaks down, possibly due to chain length dependence of solvent quality. In poor solvent, the structure of nanoparticle assemblies is not sufficiently ordered to obtain reliable measurements, possibly due to loss of nanoparticle dispersion. This approach opens up the possibility for accurate measurement of the effect of solvent on grafted chain scaling in nanoparticle assemblies.