Polyelectrolytes of high charge density in organic solvents. Synthesis and viscosimetric behavior

An easy anion exchange between electrolyte monomers of the quaternary ammonium halide type such as [(2-methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride or 1-vinyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide and various cyanocarbon salts such as 1,2,2-tricyanoethenolate, 1,1,2,3,3-pentacyanopropenide, α,α-dicyano-p-toluoylcyanide, or p-(tricyanovinyl)phenyldicyanomethide readily leads to a series of new hydrophobic electrolyte monomers with yields generally over 70%. [(2-Methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium 1,1,2,3,3-pentacyanopropenide is a most representative example. Its free radical polymerization in homogeneous solution (DMF, 60 °C) currently yields atactic chains (Bernoulli stereopropagation process, probability of meso placement Pm = 0.31) of fairly high degree of polymerization (DPw ∼ 1600) which show an unique spectrum of solubility in dipolar organic solvents (dipole moment μ > 2.6 D) covering a very broad range of dielectric constants (e ∼ 10−180). Viscosity measurements performed in 13 solvents allow us to a...