Preparation of tough, thermally stable, and water-resistant double-network ion gels consisting of silica nanoparticles/poly(ionic liquid)s through photopolymerisation of an ionic monomer and subsequent solvent removal

Abstract

N]. The cyclic stress-strain measurement of the PIL DN ion gels shows hysteresis loops, suggesting that the silica nanoparticle clusters rupture and dissipate the loading energy when the PIL DN ion gels undergo a large deformation. The fracture strength and Young's modulus of the PIL DN ion gels increase as the diameter of the silica nanoparticles is decreased. Thermogravimetric analysis measurement shows that the PIL DN ion gel has a high decomposition temperature of approximately 400 °C. Moreover, the swelling test shows that the PIL DN ion gel possesses an excellent water-resistant property because of the hydrophobic nature of the PIL backbone. We believe that such tough, thermally stable, and water-resistant PIL DN ion gels can be used as carbon dioxide separation membranes, sensors, and actuators for soft robotics.