Gelation of ionic liquids by the use of fluoroalkyl end‐capped oligomers/polyaniline composites

Abstract

Hydrophilic RF‐(MES)n‐RF/and RF‐(AMPS)n‐RF/polyaniline (PAn) nanocomposites were prepared by the polymerization of aniline monomer in the presence of the corresponding oligomers. These fluorinated PAn nanocomposites were able to cause the gelation toward a variety of hydrophilic ionic liquids, although the parent RF‐(MES)n‐RF and RF‐(AMPS)n‐RF oligomers were not effective for the gelation of such ionic liquids. Oleophilic RF‐(DOBAA)n‐RF oligomer has no gelling ability toward the ionic liquids; however, this oligomer was able to disperse well the original PAn powders into methanol to afford the corresponding oligomer/PAn composites. Interestingly, the isolated composite powders after the removal of the solvent were found to cause the gelation toward some oleophilic ionic liquids. In these composites, RF‐(MES)n‐RF/PAn nanocomposite/ionic liquid gel (ionogel) was found to provide a higher ionic conductivity than that of the parent ionic liquid under the similar conditions. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:221–228, 2018. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers