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Title: Nanoscale structure and morphology of sulfonated polyphenylenes via atomistic simulations

Journal Article · · Macromolecules

We performed atomistic simulations on a series of sulfonated polyphenylenes systematically varying the degree of sulfonation and water content to determine their effect on the nanoscale structure, particularly for the hydrophilic domains formed by the ionic groups and water molecules. We found that the local structure around the ionic groups depended on the sulfonation and hydration levels, with the sulfonate groups and hydronium ions less strongly coupled at higher water contents. In addition, we characterized the morphology of the ionic domains employing two complementary clustering algorithms. At low sulfonation and hydration levels, clusters were more elongated in shape and poorly connected throughout the system. As the degree of sulfonation and water content were increased, the clusters became more spherical, and a fully percolated ionic domain was formed. As a result, these structural details have important implications for ion transport.

Research Organization:
Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC04-94AL85000
OSTI ID:
1371479
Report Number(s):
SAND--2017-1157J; 655053
Journal Information:
Macromolecules, Journal Name: Macromolecules Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 50; ISSN 0024-9297
Publisher:
American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (3)

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Self-assembled highly ordered acid layers in precisely sulfonated polyethylene produce efficient proton transport journal May 2018
Morphology and proton diffusion in a coarse-grained model of sulfonated poly(phenylenes) journal September 2019