Synthesis and Characterization of Semicrystalline Fluorinated Ion Gels for Strain Sensor Applications

초록

Ion gels, composed of ionic liquids and polymer networks, exhibit non-volatility, thermal and electrochemical stability, and excellent mechanical properties. These attributes make them suitable for applications such as solid electrolytes, sensors, transistors, and actuators. Hydrophobicity is required for the stable operation of ion gel-based devices in aqueous environments, and research has primarily focused on ion gels using PVDF, P(VDF-HFP) or copolymers with short fluorinated side-chains.1 However, semicrystalline fluorinated ion gels with long side chains have been less explored. We synthesized copolymers with varying molar ratios of fluorinated units and mixed them with ionic liquids to fabricate ion gels. The mechanical, thermal, and rheological properties of the resultant gels were studied, and wetting behavior was characterized to test the hydrophobicity. The sensor performance of the ion gels was evaluated by imposing strains of controlled magnitudes.