Performance of main-chain polyimidazolium ionic liquid-based elastomer

Ionic elastomers possess relatively good mechanical property and environmental stability. In this work, metal ions were introduced into main-chain polyimidazolium ionic liquids (PIMILs) to enhance the mechanical properties of PIMIL-based elastomers (PIEs) by utilizing metal coordination bonds and cation–π interaction. The tensile strengths of PIEs could be increased from 0.28 MPa to 5.93 MPa. The influences of metal ion species/ratios and PIMIL ratios on the elastomer properties were investigated. Results demonstrated that the elastomers had good thermal stability, solvent resistance, and humidity responsiveness. When PIMIL containing benzene rings and the content of metal ions increased, the glass transition temperature ( T g ) of PIEs significantly increased, and PIEs could realize the transformation from elastomers to plastics.