NEW POLYELECTROLYTE MATERIALS BASED ON SMECTITE POLYOXYETHYLENE INTERCALATION COMPOUNDS

The intercalation of poly(ethylene oxide), PEO, into homoionic phyllosilicates of the smectite group (montmorillonite and hectorite) gives composite materials able to act as solid polyelectrolytes. The synthesis and the structural characterization of new intercalation compounds belonging to this class of materials have been investigated. The resulting compounds exhibit good chemical and thermal stability, preserving their ion-exchange properties. PEO intercalation produces an enhancement of the electrical conductivity associated with the interlayer cations compared to the parent silicates. Ionic conductivity determined by impedance spectroscopy measurements of different polyoxyethylene compounds (PEO and crown-ethers) into homoionic 2:1 charged phyllosilicates reveals that the conductivity values can be correlated with the oxyethylene-cation strength interaction.