Novel network polymer electrolytes containing fluorine and sulfonic acid lithium prepared by ultraviolet polymerization

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVAL) and vinyl acetate‐vinyl alcohol copolymers (VAVAL) were esterified with 3,5‐dinitrobenzoyl chloride using the cycled urea N,N′‐dimethylpropyleneurea (1,3‐dimethyl‐3,4,5,6‐tetrahydro‐2(1H)‐pyrimidinone) (DMPU) as the solvent. Vinyl alcohol‐vinyl‐3,5‐dinitrobenzoate copolymers (VALVDNB) and vinyl acetate‐vinyl‐3,5‐dinitrobenzoate copolymers (VAVDNB) were obtained. High degrees of esterification were obtained when PVAL was esterified (86%). The degree of transformation was determined by ¹H‐NMR as well as by chemical analysis, and the structure of the resulting polymers by means of IR spectroscopy and ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR. The microstructure of PVA, PVAL, VAVAL copolymers and VALVDNB copolymers were determined from ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR techniques. The sequence distributions for VAVAL copolymers prepared by base‐catalyzed transesterification of PVA were blocky, while the distributions were close to random for VALVDNB copolymers obtained by esterification of PVAL. Thermal properties were studied by DSC. The T_g values of VAVAL, VALVDNB, and VAVDNB copolymers as a function of copolymer compositions were determined. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008