The last decade has seen an exponential increase in the number of studies focused on novel applications for ionic liquids (ILs). Blends of polymers with ILs have been proposed for use in fuel cells, batteries, gas separation membranes, packaging, etc., each requiring a set of specific physico-chemical properties. In this work, blends of four grades of the poly(ether-ester) multiblock copolymer PolyActive™ with different concentrations of the CO₂-philic 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [BMIM][Tf₂N] were prepared in the form of dense films by a solution casting and solvent evaporation method, in view of their potential use as gas separation membranes for CO₂ capture. Depending on the polymer structure, the material properties could be tailored over a wide range by means of the IL content. All samples were dry-feeling, highly elastic self-standing dense films. The microstructure of the blends was studied by scanning electron microscopy with a backscattering detector, able to observe anisotropy in the sample, while a special topographic analysis mode allowed the visualization of surface roughness. Samples with the longest poly(ethylene oxide terephthalate) (PEOT) blocks were significantly more anisotropic than those with shorter blocks, and this heterogeneity increased with increasing IL content. DSC analysis revealed a significant decrease in the melting enthalpy and melting temperature of the crystalline PEOT domains with increasing IL content, forming an amorphous phase with T_g ≈ −50 °C, whereas the polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) phase was hardly affected. This indicates better compatibility of the IL with the polyether phase than the polyester phase. Young’s modulus was highest and most IL-dependent for the sample with the highest PEOT content and PEOT block length, due to its high crystallinity. Similarly, the sample with short PEOT blocks and high PBT content also showed a high modulus and tensile strength, but much lower maximum elongation. This study provides a detailed discussion on the correlation between the morphological, thermal, and mechanical properties of these PolyActive™/[BMIM][Tf₂N] blends.

Microreaction and membrane technologies offer optimal conditions for controlling enantiomer synthesis and purification processes in continuous production, with numerous advantages over batch manufacturing. One of the many forces driving the development of such technologies for the production of single optical isomers is the need for enantiomerically pure pharmaceutical drugs because enantiomers may display opposite therapeutic effects or different treatment efficacies and side effects. Yet, despite advances in asymmetric synthesis and separation techniques, preparing enantiomerically pure compounds remains a challenging task. Here, we review the progress in microfluidics and membrane chiral separation over the last two decades. In addition to describing and critically assessing the state of the art in both disciplines, we provide an overview of their beneficial properties and characteristics for developing technologies toward producing enantiomerically pure compounds. Concomitantly, we evaluate efforts to integrate synthesis and membrane separation into a microfluidic platform and pinpoint the limiting factors that must be overcome before these platforms can be fully deployed in the industry.