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Temperature Responsive Copolymers Films of Polyether and Bio-Based Polyamide Loaded with Imidazolium Ionic Liquids for Smart Packaging Applications.

Daniela Clotilde ZampinoGabriele ClariziaPaola Bernardo
Published in: Polymers (2023)
Temperature-responsive materials are highly interesting for temperature-triggered applications such as drug delivery and smart packaging. Imidazolium Ionic Liquids (ILs), with a long side chain on the cation and a melting temperature of around 50 °C, were synthetized and loaded at moderate amounts (up to 20 wt%) within copolymers of polyether and a bio-based polyamide via solution casting. The resulting films were analyzed to assess their structural and thermal properties, and the gas permeation changes due to their temperature-responsive behavior. The splitting of FT-IR signals is evident, and, in the thermal analysis, a shift in the glass transition temperature ( T g) for the soft block in the host matrix towards higher values upon the addition of both ILs is also observed. The composite films show a temperature-dependent permeation with a step change corresponding to the solid-liquid phase change in the ILs. Thus, the prepared polymer gel/ILs composite membranes provide the possibility of modulating the transport properties of the polymer matrix simply by playing with temperature. The permeation of all the investigated gases obeys an Arrhenius-type law. A specific permeation behavior, depending on the heating-cooling cycle sequence, can be observed for carbon dioxide. The obtained results indicate the potential interest of the developed nanocomposites as CO 2 valves for smart packaging applications.
Keyphrases
  • ionic liquid
  • room temperature
  • drug delivery
  • cancer therapy
  • carbon dioxide
  • coronary artery disease
  • high intensity
  • human health
  • reduced graphene oxide