Review and critical analysis of the morphology of random ionomers across many length scales

This review presents a description of what is known about ionomer morphology. All papers on ionomer morphology are not included in this review; but all relevant questions about ionomer morphology are posed and answered as completely as possible. The review is critical; that is, reasons are given for morphologies that are deemed to be more or less likely. The review is organized along three length scales: sub-nanometer, nanometer to 10 nm, and greater than 10 nm. Within each length scale, all three phases are considered: crystalline, amorphous, and ionic aggregate. The purity of the three phases, the arrangement of atoms in the three phases, the size and shape of the three phases, and their arrangements in space relative to each other are explored in this review. A model for the shape of aggregates in ionomers that have well-ordered internal environments is presented. This model proposes that aggregates are fundamentally planar, but will "roll up" into tubes or other related structures in order to reduce the number of atoms at aggregate edges. This model was developed primarily based on the varied morphologies ionomers have shown in electron micrographs, but is consistent with other indirect measurements of ionomer morphology. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers.