Novel Synthetic Approach to Tune the Surface Properties of Polymeric Films: Ionic Exchange Reaction between Sulfonated Polyarylethersulfones and Ionic Liquids

Currently, no studies dealing with the role played by ionic liquids on tailoring surface features of polymer films are available. In this work, ionic liquids influence on the surface of sulfonated polyarylethersulfones was investigated. Sulfonated polyarylethersulfones with different degrees of sulfonation were synthesized; their surface properties were modulated through an ionic exchange reaction between the K+ cation of sulfonated polyarylethersulfones and ionic liquids, synthesized changing the length of cation of apolar groups. Hydrophobic properties of sulfonated polyarylethersulfones-ionic liquids films improve with both an increase in degrees of sulfonation and the length of ionic liquids alkyl chains due to higher surface roughness, as shown by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy.