No abstract

The synthesis and characterization of a new family of pyrrolidinium based poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) electrolytes with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) pendant groups is reported. The PILs were synthesized from a diallyl methyl amine hydrochloride monomer, which was obtained in large quantities using a modified Eschweiler-Clarke reaction. As additional plasticizers for the PILs, pyrrolidinium ionic liquids (ILs), also with PEG groups, were synthesized. All obtained PILs and ILs revealed excellent thermal stabilities to greater than 300 °C. Binary electrolyte mixtures were prepared by blending the PILs and ILs in different weight ratios. In addition, a ternary mixture of the best performing PIL and IL and bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide lithium salt (LiTFSI) was prepared. The obtained electrolyte blends showed very good ionic conductivities in the best case up to 2.4 mS cm–1 at 25 °C and 10.2 mS cm–1 at 100 °C and outperformed their pyrrolidinium counterparts with alkyl side chain that were synthesized as a reference. It was found that the ionic conductivity of the blends increased with an increase in the PEG chain length of the PILs. The good physicochemical properties of the presented materials make them potential candidates for electrochemical applications such as lithium-ion batteries or dye-sensitized solar cells.

The aim of this work was to develop new biodegradable polymeric materials with high loadings of chicken feather (CF). In this study, the effect of CF concentration and the type of biodegradable matrix on the physical, mechanical and thermal properties of the biocomposites was investigated. The selected biopolymers were polylactic acid (PLA), polybutyrate adipate terephthalate (PBAT) and a PLA/thermoplastic copolyester blend. The studied biocomposites were manufactured with a torque rheometer having a CF content of 50 and 60 wt %. Due to the low tensile strength of CFs, the resulting materials were penalized in terms of mechanical properties. However, high-loading CF biocomposites resulted in lightweight and thermal-insulating materials when compared with neat bioplastics. Additionally, the adhesion between CFs and the PLA matrix was also investigated and a significant improvement of the wettability of the feathers was obtained with the alkali treatment of the CFs and the addition of a plasticizer like polyethylene glycol (PEG). Considering all the properties, these 100% fully biodegradable biocomposites could be adequate for panel components, flooring or building materials as an alternative to wood–plastic composites, contributing to the valorisation of chicken feather waste as a renewable material.This work was supported by KaRMA2020 project. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program under Grant Agreement n° 723268

Poly(ionic liquid)-based thin film composite membranes capture carbon dioxide from mixed gas streams imitating flue gas separations under various process conditions.