Sulfonated polystyrene ionomers containing 4-aminobenzoic acid studied by a small-angle X-ray scattering technique

In a recent study by the same authors using a DMTA (Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analyzer), it was found that the 4-aminobenzoic acid (ABA) molecules acted as either a neutralizing agent, or a plasticizer, or a filler, depending on the order of mixing of poly(styrene-co-styrenesulfonic acid) (PSSA), ABA, and NaOH. Subsequent to that study, we here pursued the same topic, i.e., the effect of the addition of CsOH (instead of NaOH) and ABA on the morphology of PSSA, but this time, by using a small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) technique. In line with the previous results, the present study with the SAXS technique verified that the order of mixing has a significant effect on the morphology of ionomers. In addition, with the SAXS data and the density values of the ionomers, we attempted to calculate both the number of sulfonate ionic groups per multiplet and the size of the multiplet of the ionomer.