Oxirane and dioxolane copolymers, process for their preparation

Details Oxirane and dioxolane copolymers, process for their preparation Oxirane and dioxolane copolymers, process for their preparation

1994-05-27

1996-09-03

Wilson, D. R.

Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser

Synthetic resins

From aldehyde or derivative thereof as reactant

528408, 528421, C08G 222, C08G 226

Patent

active

055525105

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
Copolymers of oxirane and dioxolane, process for their preparation and ionically conductive materials containing them.
The present invention relates to copolymers, to a process for their preparation and to their use for the production of ionically conductive materials.
Polymeric electrolytes obtained by dissolving a salt in a solvating polymer containing heteroatoms are known. Such electrolytes, in which the solvent is a poly(ethylene oxide) or an ethylene oxide copolymer, are described, for example, in EP-A-13199 (M. Armand, M. Duclot). These polymeric electrolytes have many applications, in particular in the field of electrochemical generators, light-modulating systems (M. Armand et al., EP-87401555) and sensors, for example for selective or reference membranes (A. Hammou et al., FR-86.09602).
Poly(ethylene oxide) is a semicrystalline polymer which forms stoichiometric complexes with salts. The conductive amorphous phases of these complexes exist only above an eutectic temperature which is generally between 40.degree. C. and 65.degree. C., depending on the nature of the complexed salts. At ordinary temperature good conductivities are obtained only with macromolecular systems which exhibit little or no crystallinity. Much effort has been expended to improve the conductive properties of these materials. This has resulted, for example, in the formation of copolymers based on ethylene oxide (M. Armand et al., FR-83.09886). Copolymerization of ethylene oxide with other epoxides such as propylene oxide or methyl glycidyl ether decreases the crystallinity of the material appreciably. However, random introduction of defects is reflected in a marked loss in solvating and dissociating power of the regular poly(ethylene oxide) sequence. The preparation of copolymers which have high molecular masses, higher than 10.sup.5, and good mechanical properties, requires reactants of high purity and a reproducible control of the proportion of comonomers introduced is difficult because of the difference in reactivity between ethylene oxide and its homologues.
Amorphous polymers which have good conductivity but mediocre mechanical behaviour have been obtained by polycondensation of the oligooxyethylene glycols (M.sub.W .apprxeq.200-1000) with dichloromethane [C. V. Nicholas, D. J. Wilson, C. Booth & R. J. M. Gilles, Brit. Polym. J. 20 289 (1988)]. Furthermore, these materials, which are based on poly(ethylene oxide) do not have any reactive functional groups and cannot therefore be crosslinked.
Dioxolane homopolymers which are highly crystalline and which exhibit melting temperatures close to 55.degree. C. are also known. The conductivity of the polydioxolane/salt complexes at temperatures below 25.degree. C. is therefore mediocre. Furthermore, it is difficult to obtain polymers of high mass by cationic polymerization of dioxolane; the mechanical properties of the electrolytes prepared from these homopolymers are therefore mediocre at temperatures above 80.degree. C.
The objective of the present invention is to provide ionically conductive materials comprising a polymeric solid electrolyte and at the same time exhibiting good conductivity and good mechanical behaviour.
To this end, the subject of the present invention is a class of crosslinkable copolymers which have a low crystallinity.
Another subject of the invention is a process for the preparation of the said copolymers.
Lastly, the subject of the invention is ionically conductive materials in which the solvent consists essentially of an abovementioned copolymer.
A copolymer according to the invention consists of monomer units corresponding to the formula --CH.sub.2 --O--CHR--CH.sub.2 --O-- (I) and monomer units corresponding to the formula --CH.sub.2 --CHR'--O-- (II), in which: from 1 to 8 carbon atoms or a radical CH.sub.3 (--O--CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2).sub.n --O--CH.sub.2 --, in which 1.ltoreq.n.ltoreq.10; polymerized by a radical route and inert in the conditions of cationic polymerization.
Among the radicals R, preference is given very particularly to H and CH.sub.3.
The

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