Synthesis of microphase-separated poly(styrene-co-sodium styrene sulfonate) membranes using amphiphilic urethane acrylate nonionomers as an reactive compatibilizer

Microphase-separated poly(styrene-co-sodium styrene sulfonate) random copolymer (PSSU) membranes were fabricated through a new copolymerization process. Two immiscible monomers, styrene and sodium styrene sulfonate were dissolved in a single solvent and formed homogeneous solutions, which were directly converted to wall-to-wall membranes via radical copolymerization process with microphase separation. Since urethane acrylate nonionomer (UAN) chain has amphiphilicity as well as reactivity with vinyl monomers, UAN chain could act not only as compatibilizer for polystyrene and poly(sodium styrene sulfonate), but also as macrocrosslinker, which makes it possible for the formation of crosslinked copolymer of two immiscible polymers without macrophase separation. TEM image of the PSSU membranes showed that nanosized hydrophilic domains formed by hydrophilic/hydrophobic microphase separation were dispersed at hydrophobic matrix phase. PSSU membranes fabricated using UAN chain having longer chain length of polyethylene oxide showed bigger size of hydrophilic domains, which was also confirmed by TEM images. Fabricated PSSU membranes showed proton conductivity higher than 10⁻² S/cm and methanol permeability lower than 10⁻⁷ cm²/s of Nafion® 117 membranes. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008