Recently, the interest in charged polymers has been rapidly growing due to their uses in energy storage and transfer devices. Yet, polymer electrolyte-based devices are not on the immediate horizon because of the low ionic conductivity. In the present study, we developed a methodology to enhance the ionic conductivity of charged block copolymers comprising ionic liquids through the electrostatic control of the interfacial layers. Unprecedented reentrant phase transitions between lamellar and A15 structures were seen, which cannot be explained by well-established thermodynamic factors. X-ray scattering experiments and molecular dynamics simulations revealed the formation of fascinating, thin ionic shell layers composed of ionic complexes. The ionic liquid cations of these complexes predominantly presented near the micellar interfaces if they had strong binding affinity with the charged polymer chains. Therefore, the interfacial properties and concentration fluctuations of the A15 structures were crucially dependent on the type of tethered acid groups in the polymers. Overall, the stabilization energies of the A15 structures were greater when enriched, attractive electrostatic interactions were present at the micellar interfaces. Contrary to the conventional wisdom that block copolymer interfaces act as “dead zone” to significantly deteriorate ion transport, this study establishes a prospective avenue for advanced polymer electrolyte having tailor-made interfaces.

Achieving superionic conductivity from solid‐state polymer electrolytes is an important task in the development of future energy storage and conversion technologies. Herein, a platform for innovative electrolyte technologies based on a bifunctional polymer, poly(3‐hydroxy‐4‐sulfonated styrene) (PS‐3H4S), is presented. By incorporating OH and SO3H functional groups at adjacent positions in the styrene repeating unit, “intra‐monomer” hydrogen bonds are formed to effectively weaken the electrostatic interactions of the SO3− moieties in the polymer matrix with embedded ions, promoting rich structural and dynamic heterogeneity in the PS‐3H4S electrolyte. Upon the incorporation of an ionic liquid, interconnected rod‐like ion channels, which allow the decoupling of ion relaxation from polymer relaxation, are formed in the stiff motif of the polymeric domains passivated by interfacial ionic layers. This results in accelerated proton hopping through the glassy polymer matrix, and proton hopping becomes more pronounced at cryogenic temperatures down to −35 °C. The PS‐3H4S/ionic liquid composite electrolytes exhibit a high ionic conductivity of 10−3 S cm−1 and high storage modulus of ≈100 MPa at 25 °C, and can be successfully applied in soft actuators and lithium‐metal batteries.

Conjugated polymer (CP)/carbon nanotube (CNT) composites have been actively used for thermoelectrics for more than a decade. Thermoelectric performance of CP/CNT composites is greatly improved compared with that of the individual components; however, the underlying origin of the performance improvement remains vague, without clear explanations at the molecular scale. Moreover, the nature of the heterogeneous system limits quantitative analysis and restricts physical understanding of the thermoelectric effect in the composites. By combining experimental approaches with molecular dynamics simulations, the contribution of the CPs to the thermoelectric properties at inter‐tube junctions between adjacent CNTs is revealed. Indacenodithiophene‐co‐benzothiadiazole (IDTBT), which has a highly planar backbone and does not aggregate at CP/CNT interfaces, can better mediate effective intramolecular charge transport along backbone chains at inter‐tube junctions than poly[2,5‐bis(3‐tetradecylthiophene‐2‐yl)thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene] (PBTTT). The isotropic and continuous distribution of IDTBT backbone chains enables both holes and phonons to be transported effectively at inter‐tube junctions; this effect greatly increases electrical conductivity, but also increases thermal conductivity. Thus, to obtain a high thermoelectric figure of merit, the balance between the two effects must be optimized. These results may enable CP/CNT composites, whose development is currently stagnating, to be developed into commercially available thermoelectrics, complementing their conventional inorganic counterparts.

Electrostatic interactions play a dominant role in charged materials systems. Understanding the complex correlation between macroscopic properties with microscopic structures is of critical importance to develop rational design strategies for advanced materials. But the complexity of this challenging task is augmented by interfaces present in the charged materials systems, such as electrode–electrolyte interfaces or biological membranes. Over the last decades, predictive molecular simulations that are founded in fundamental physics and optimized for charged interfacial systems have proven their value in providing molecular understanding of physicochemical properties and functional mechanisms for diverse materials. Novel design strategies utilizing predictive models have been suggested as promising route for the rational design of materials with tailored properties. Here, an overview of recent advances in the understanding of charged interfacial systems aided by predictive molecular simulations is presented. Focusing on three types of charged interfaces found in energy materials and biomacromolecules, how the molecular models characterize ion structure, charge transport, morphology relation to the environment, and the thermodynamics/kinetics of molecular binding at the interfaces is discussed. The critical analysis brings two prominent field of energy materials and biological science under common perspective, to stimulate crossover in both research field that have been largely separated.

Objectives The aim of this study was to compare the characteristics of the type B tympanogram curve (maximum admittance, tympanometric peak pressure) to the volume and viscosity of middle ear fluid. Methods We conducted preoperative tympanometry from 175 ears in 94 children with otitis media with effusion. The volume and viscosity of middle ear fluid collected during myringotomy were classified into 3 groups respectively. We analysed the correlations between the characteristcs of middle ear fluid and tympanometric profiles such as maximum admittance, tympanometric peak pressure. Student t test was used for statistical analysis. Results No correlation was found between peak pressure of the tympanogram and the characteristics of middle ear fluid. However, as the volume of middle ear fluid increases, the viscosity and the straight type B tympanogram increased significantly (p<0.001, p=0.002 respectively). And as the volume and the viscosity of the middle ear fluid increased, the Admmax significantly decreased (p<0.001). Conclusions Characteristics of type B tympanogram curve were correlated with the volume and viscosity of middle ear fluid. And it can be suggested that tympanometry may be used as an objective measure to estimate the characteristics of the middle ear fluid.