Background of IPMNCs

In this ehapter the focus is on perfluorinated sulfonic ionic multi-functional materials, as potentially powerful ionic polymers for biomimetie distributed nanosensing, nanoaetuation, nanorobotics, nanotransducers for power conversion and harvesting, as well as artificial muscles for medical and industrial applications. 

It must be noted that widespread electrochemical processes and deviees use poly (perfluorosulfonic acid) ionic polymers. These materials exhibit [1-20] good chemi-eal stability, remarkable mechanical strength, good thermal stability and high elec-trieal eonduetivity when sufficiently hydrated and made into a nanoeomposite with a eonduetive phase such as metals, conductive polymers or graphite. As described elsewhere [7], a number of physical models have been developed to understand the meehanisms of water and ion transport in ionic polymers and membranes. Morphologieal features influence transport of ions in ionie polymers. These features 

High-resolution NMR of some perfluoroionomer shows an unusual combination of a nonpolar. Teflon-like backbone, with polar and ionic side branches. Liu and Schmidt-Rohr [21] have obtained the first high-resolution NMR spectra of solid perfluorinated polymers by combining 28 kHz magic-angle spinning (MAS) with rotation-synchronized 19F pulses. Their NMR studies enable more detailed structural investigations of the nanometer-scale structure and dynamies of PTFE based ionomers. It has also been well established [1-21] that anions are tethered to the polymer backbone and cations (H , Na , Li ) are mobile and solvated by polar or ionic liquids within the nanoclusters of size 3-5 nanometers. 

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