This work presents the first example of an imidazolium
ionene containing
aromatic ether-ketone-ether linkages inspired by poly(ether ether
ketone) (PEEK), a well-known ultrahigh-performance (UHP) engineering
polymer. The requisite starting materials for this “PEEK ionene”
were efficiently synthesized in good yields and then polymerized through
condensation (Menshutkin reaction), followed by anion metathesis to
form the final polymer product, which had a number-average molecular
weight (M
n) of ∼90 kDa. The properties
of the PEEK-ionene were thoroughly characterized, and its potential
utility was demonstrated by analyzing this material as a gas separation
membrane and 3D-printing this ionic UHP polymer. Thin films of this
material and composites containing “free” ionic liquids
(ILs) were also tested as membranes, to evaluate the gas/permeation
behaviors. While the addition of [C4mim][Tf2N] IL to the PEEK-ionene enhanced membrane performance, the ether-functionalized
[PEG1mim][Tf2N] IL exhibited notably different
interactions with the PEEK-ionene, resulting in diminished selectivity
and irregular ordering due to partial exfoliation and dissolution
of the polymer. To better understand the range of processability and
morphological effects with ILs, the PEEK-ionene was extruded into
fibers and was 3D-printed through fused deposition modeling (FDM)
techniques, to demonstrate how the PEEK-ionene is more readily processable
than conventional PEEK. Compared to neutral PEEK, the PEEK-ionene
with bistriflimide (Tf2N) counterions exhibited reduced
glass-transition temperature (T
g) and
melting point (T
m) and increased permeability
to gases, as well as the ability to hold ILs within their structures.
This approach to the design of ionenes and PEEK-containing materials
can provide great opportunities to create tailored materials for a
variety of applications.