Highly Deliquescent Cationic Polyether with Imidazolium Halide Group

A highly deliquescent cationic polyether was synthesized through living anionic polymerization of epichlorohydrin followed by quaternization of the obtained poly(epichlorohydrin) by reacting with 1-methylimidazole. The formed poly(N-glycidyl-N′-methylimidazolium chloride) (poly(ECH-MeIm+Cl−)) absorbed moisture in air immediately to change its appearance from solid to fluid, suggesting its deliquescent nature. The hydrated poly(ECH-MeIm+Cl−) possessed neither glass transition nor phase transition in between −60 and 60 °C. Ionic conductivity of the hydrated polymer was as high as 1.8 × 10−2 S cm−1 under rather humid conditions (23 °C, 80% RH; water uptake: 72 wt %).