A tool for the precision synthesis of poly(ionic liquid)s in water

In recent years, poly(ionic liquid)s (PIL)s were found to take an enabling role in important fields of polymer chemistry and material science. PILs combine the unique properties of ionic liquids with the flexibility and properties of macromolecular architectures giving rise to a new family of functional polymers that opens new area of applications such as polymer electrolytes in electrochemical devices, powerful dispersants and stabilizers, absorbing membranes, precursors for carbon materials, porous polymers, etc. In this communication, we will report on the implementation of organometallic-mediated radical polymerization (OMRP) technique for the precision synthesis of unprecedented PILs (co)polymers. We will discuss how an organocobalt complex can efficiently control the growth of vinyl imidazolium chains and lead to PILs with predicted molar masses and low polydispersities under mild experimental conditions, which provide low temperatures (compared to the conventional radical polymerization techniques) and also the use of water as green polymerization medium. The huge potential of this system will be also highlighted by describing the one-pot synthesis of vinyl imidazolium-based block copolymers in heterogeneous conditions. This OMRP is unique for providing well-defined vinyl imidazolium based-copolymers opening for advanced PILs applications.