title: Highly Conductive Ionic-Liquid Gels Prepared with Orthogonal Double Networks of a Low-Molecular-Weight Gelator and Cross-Linked Polymer.
abstract: We prepared a heterogeneous double-network (DN) ionogel containing a low-molecular-weight gelator network and a polymer network that can exhibit high ionic conductivity and high mechanical strength. An imidazolium-based ionic liquid was first gelated by the molecular self-assembly of a low-molecular-weight gelator (benzenetricarboxamide derivative), and methyl methacrylate was polymerized with a cross-linker to form a cross-linked poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) network within the ionogel. Microscopic observation and calorimetric measurement revealed that the fibrous network of the low-molecular-weight gelator was maintained in the DN ionogel. The PMMA network strengthened the ionogel of the low-molecular-weight gelator and allowed us to handle the ionogel using tweezers. The orthogonal DNs produced ionogels with a broad range of storage elastic moduli. DN ionogels with low PMMA concentrations exhibited high ionic conductivity that was comparable to that of a neat ionic liquid. The present study demonstrates that the ionic conductivities of the DN and single-network, low-molecular-weight gelator or polymer ionogels strongly depended on their storage elastic moduli.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University , 1-1 Rokkodaicho, Nada-ku, Kobe 657-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshikazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kataoka
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University , 1-1 Rokkodaicho, Nada-ku, Kobe 657-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Yumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishioka
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University , 1-1 Rokkodaicho, Nada-ku, Kobe 657-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mizuhata
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University , 1-1 Rokkodaicho, Nada-ku, Kobe 657-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Minami
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University , 1-1 Rokkodaicho, Nada-ku, Kobe 657-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maruyama
keywords: conducting materials; gels; ionic liquids; molecular self-assembly; polymers