External photoelectron emission spectra of ionic liquids in the presence and absence of iodide

External photoelectron emission spectra of typical ionic liquids were measured in the presence and absence of iodide. Threshold energies and quantum efficiencies of the photoelectron emission were estimated. From these values, the conduction band energy of electrons and the acceptor number of each liquid were estimated. Interactions between the ionic liquids and iodide are discussed on the basis of these results.     

Charge transport in confined concentrated solutions: A minireview

This Minireview summarizes several recent experiments clouding over prevailing theoretical understanding of charge transport behaviors in electrochemical systems; they are nonlinear concentration dependence of ionic conductivity, ultra-long Debye length in ionic liquids, nonmonotonic double layer charging behavior, and anomalous increase in area specific capacitance with decreasing nanopore size. Theoretical activities reveal that nanoconfinement and high concentration exert strong influence on charge distribution and transport via strong ion-ion correlations and ion-wall interactions. By exemplifying where and why classical theories of charge transport fail, we defy the popular point of view that theoretical electrochemistry is well-established and we are left with applications of these theories only.     

Ionic liquids as mobile phase additives for determination of thiocyanate and iodide by liquid chromatography

An analytical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of thiocyanate and iodide by reversed‐phase liquid chromatography with UV detection using imidazolium ionic liquids as mobile phase additives. The chromatographic behaviors of the two anions on a C₁₈ column were studied and compared with four types of reagents including imidazolium ionic liquids, pyridinium ionic liquids, 4‐aminophenol hydrochloride and tetrabutylammonium as mobile phase additives. The effects of the concentrations of imidazolium ionic liquids, organic solvents and detection wavelength on separation and detection of the anions were investigated. The role of ionic liquids, retention rules and mechanisms were discussed. The separation of the anions was performed on the C₁₈ reserved‐phase column using acetonitrile‐0.3 mmol/L 1‐amyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (10:90, v/v) as mobile phase, with column temperature of 35°C, flow rate of 1 mL/min and detection wavelength of 210 nm. Under these conditions, the two anions can be completely separated within 6 min. The limits of detection were 0.05 mg/L. The method was applied for the determination of thiocyanate and iodide in ionic liquid samples and iodide drugs, and the spiked recoveries ranged from 97 to 101%. The method is simple, accurate and meets the requirements of quantitative analysis for thiocyanate and iodide.     

Proton conductivity in crosslinked hydrophilic ionic polymer system: Competitive hydration,crosslink heterogeneity,and ineffective domains

High proton conductivity in hydrophobic backbone‐based polymers such as Nafion is known to be due to the formation of organized ionic clusters and channels upon hydration. However, a lower proton conductivity in hydrophilic, ionic polymers and the role played by the microstructure are not well understood. In this work, we demonstrate the importance of heterogeneity in crosslinked ionic polymer networks in explaining proton conductivity. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) crosslinked with sulfosuccinic acid (SSA) is used as the model polymer system for the study. Evolution of the microstructure with hydration and the effect on proton conductivity are analyzed using ATR‐FTIR spectroscopy, dielectric spectroscopy, and small‐angle neutron scattering. We show that the presence of the two hydrophilic groups in PVA‐SSA (hydroxyl and sulfonic acid), as opposed to Nafion, results in competition for water and a lower proton conductivity. The crosslinked polymer–water system contains heterogeneous domains of crosslink nodes which are conductive. These domains (of size 20–35 Å) interconnect with each other and form tortuous percolating domains through which proton conduction takes place. The presence of hydroxyl groups results in some of the domains being ineffective for proton transport, resulting in a lower conductivity. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 1087–1101     

Polymerization of the new double‐charged monomer bis‐1,3(N,N,N‐trimethylammonium dicyanamide)‐2‐propylmethacrylate and ionic conductivity of the novel polyelectrolytes

The achievement of high ionic conductivity in single‐ion conducting polymer electrolytes is one of the important aims for various electrochemical devices including modern lithium batteries. One way to enhance the ionic conductivity in polyelectrolyte systems is to increase the quantity of charge carriers in each monomer unit. Highly charged poly(bis‐1,3(N,N,N‐trimethylammonium)‐2‐propylmethacrylate) with one of the most conducting anions, namely dicyanamide, was prepared via free radical bulk polymerization or using ionic liquids as reaction medium. The cationic polymers of the double‐charged monomer have molar masses up to = 1,830,000 g/mol and the ionic conductivity equal to 5.51 × 10^?5 S / cm at 25°C. The film forming ability, crystallinity, thermal stability, and glass transition temperatures of the new polymeric ionic liquids obtained from detailed studies are presented. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of Low‐Viscosity Ionic Liquids for Application in Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Two types of ionic liquids (ILs), 1‐(3‐hexenyl)‐3‐methyl imidazolium iodide and 1‐(3‐butenyl)‐3‐methyl imidazolium iodide, are synthesized by introducing an unsaturated bond into the side alkyl chain of the imidazolium cation. These new ionic liquids exhibit high thermal stability and low viscosity (104 cP and 80 cP, respectively). The molecular dynamics simulation shows that the double bond introduced in the alkane chain greatly changes the molecular system space arrangement and diminishes the packing efficiency, leading to low viscosity. The low viscosity of the synthesized ionic liquids would enhance the diffusion of redox couples. This enhancement is detected by fabricating dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with electrolytes containing the two ILs and I₂. The highest efficiency of DSSCs is 6.85 % for 1‐(3‐hexenyl)‐3‐methyl imidazolium iodide and 5.93 % for 1‐(3‐butenyl)‐3‐methyl imidazolium iodide electrolyte, which is much higher than that of 5.17 % with the counterpart 1‐hexyl‐3‐methyl imidazolium iodide electrolyte.     

On the computation and contribution of conductivity in molecular ionic liquids

In this study we present the results of the molecular dynamics simulation of the ionic liquids: 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium tetrafluoroborate and trifluoromethylacetate as well as 1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium dicyanamide. Ionic liquids are characterized by both a molecular dipole moment and a net charge. Thus, in contrast to a solution of simple ions in a (non-) polar solvent, rotational and translational effects influence the very same molecule. This study works out the theoretical framework necessary to compute the conductivity spectrum and its low frequency limit of ionic liquids. Merging these computed conductivity spectra with previous simulation results on the dielectric spectra of ionic liquids yields the spectrum of the generalized dielectric constant, which may be compared to experiments. This spectrum was calculated for the three ionic liquids over six orders of magnitude in frequency ranging from 10 MHz to 50 THz. The role of rotation and translation and their coupling term on the generalized dielectric constant is discussed in detail with a special emphasis on the zero-frequency limit. Thereby, the frequency dependence of the cross correlation between the collective rotational dipole moment and the current is discussed.     

Superionic Conduction over a Wide Temperature Range in a Metal–Organic Framework Impregnated with Ionic Liquids

Most molecules in confined spaces show markedly different behaviors from those in the bulk. Large pores are composed of two regions: an interface region in which liquids interact with the pore surface, and a core region in which liquids behave as bulk. The realization of a highly mobile ionic liquid (IL) in a mesoporous metal–organic framework (MOF) is now reported. The hybrid shows a high room‐temperature conductivity (4.4×10^?3 S cm^?1) and low activation energy (0.20 eV); both not only are among the best values reported for IL‐incorporated MOFs but also are classified as a superionic conductor. The conductivity reaches over 10^?2 S cm^?1 above 343 K and follows the Vogel–Fulcher–Tammann equation up to ca. 400 K. In particular, the hybrid is advantageous at low temperatures (<263 K), where the ionic conduction is superior to that of bulk IL, making it useful as solid‐state electrolytes for electrochemical devices operating over a wide temperature range.     

Correlating backbone‐to‐backbone distance to ionic conductivity in amorphous polymerized ionic liquids

The morphology and ionic conductivity of poly(1‐n‐alkyl‐3‐vinylimidazolium)‐based homopolymers polymerized from ionic liquids were investigated as a function of the alkyl chain length and counterion type. In general, X‐ray scattering showed three features: (i) backbone‐to‐backbone, (ii) anion‐to‐anion, and (iii) pendant‐to‐pendant characteristic distances. As the alkyl chain length increases, the backbone‐to‐backbone separation increases. As the size of counterion increases, the anion‐to‐anion scattering peak becomes apparent and its correlation length increases. The X‐ray scattering features shift to lower angles as the temperature increases due to thermal expansion. The ionic conductivity results show that the glass transition temperature (T_g) is a dominant, but not exclusive, parameter in determining ion transport. The T_g‐independent ionic conductivity decreases as the backbone‐to‐backbone spacing increases. Further interpretation of the ionic conductivity using the Vogel–Fulcher–Tammann equation enabled the correlation between polymer morphology and ionic conductivity, which highlights the importance of anion hoping between adjacent polymer backbones. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012     

Molecular dynamics simulations of the structure and transport properties of tetra-butylphosphonium amino acid ionic liquids

Systematic molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the structure, dynamics and transport properties of the ionic liquids composed of the tetra-butylphosphonium ([TBP](+), or [P(C(4)H(9))(4)](+)) cation with six amino acid ([AA](-)) anions. The structural features of these ionic liquids were characterized by calculating the partial site-site radial distribution functions, g(r), and computing the dihedral angle distribution of n-butyl side chains in the [TBP](+) cations. The dynamics of the ionic liquids are described by studying the velocity autocorrelation function (VACF) and the mean-square displacement (MSD) for the centers of mass of the ions at different temperatures. The ionic diffusion coefficients and the electrical conductivities were evaluated from both the Einstein and Green-Kubo methods. The cross-correlation terms in the electric-current autocorrelation functions, which are an indication of the ion pair correlations, are investigated. The cationic transference numbers were also estimated to study the contributions of the anions and cations to the transport of charge in these ionic liquids. We determined the role of the amino acid anion structures on the dynamical behavior and the transport coefficients of this family of ionic liquids. In general, the MSD and self-diffusion coefficients of the relatively heavier non-planar [TBP](+) cations are smaller than those of the lighter amino acid anions. Introducing polar functional groups (acid or amide) in the side chain of [AA](-) decreases the diffusion coefficient and electrical conductivity of AAILs. The major factors for determining the magnitude of the transport coefficients are the chemical functionality and the length of the alkyl side chain of the [AA](-) anion of these [TBP][AA] ionic liquids.     

Mixed conduction behavior in nanostructured lanthanum gallate

Electrical conduction in nanostructured 10 mol% Sr- and 15 mol% Mg-doped lanthanum gallate was investigated. The grain boundary conductivity shows mixed ionic and electronic conduction, while the grain conductivity shows ionic conduction. This is attributed to the increase of the contribution of the electron-hole in the grain boundary by the space charge effect. The overall electrical conductivity is governed by the grain boundary conductivity such that nanostructured lanthanum gallate becomes a mixed conductor.     

Electrical properties of bilayer lipid membranes containing iodine and iodide,investigated by cyclic voltammetry

The conduction properties of lecithin bilayer membranes in iodine-containing solutions are examined from a potentiodynamic experimental approach. Voltammetric data obtained by using a variety of forms (derived from charge-transfer type interactions) of iodide implicate the triiodide ion as the charge carrier accounting for the diffusion-limited voltammetric response whereas the charge transport of iodide seems to be limited by transmembrane diffusion. The data are used to support one of the many proposed mechanisms for conductance of iodide in membranes.     

Separation of aromatic solvents from oil refinery reformates by a newly designed ionic liquid using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection

The aim of this study was to determine whether the new ionic liquid, N,N‐dimethyl‐2‐oxopyrrolidonium iodide, synthesized in our laboratory is a suitable solvent for the separation of aromatic components benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes from petroleum mixtures (reformates) in liquid–liquid extraction. In pursuance of the above aim, a method to extract all components of a mixture, containing four aromatic components simultaneously, was developed. A new ionic liquid and a previously used liquid were compared for their extraction abilities. These ionic liquids were, respectively, N,N‐dimethyl‐2‐oxopyrrolidinium iodide and 1‐ethyl‐3‐methyl imidazolium ethyl sulfate. The concentrations of each benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes component in the extract and raffinate phases were measured by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection as volume percent to determine the extraction ability of the ionic liquids. The results obtained for both the reformate samples and model mixtures indicated that the new ionic liquid was effective as an extracting solvent for the recovery of aromatic components from reformates. Also the analysis results, using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection, for the reformate samples were as good as the results obtained by a local oil refinery. The extraction results also show that the developed method is very suitable for the separation and analysis of aromatic components in reformates.     

Describing the unsuspected advantage of redox ionic liquids applied to electrochemical energy storage

Ionic liquids are a class of solvents widely studied in the literature for various applications. As a subclass of ionic liquids, redox ionic liquids can endow charge exchange properties (electrons transfer) to these electrolytes for electrochemical energy storage. In this review article, we propose to study this family of ionic liquids and suggest a chronological classification. We introduce five generations of redox ionic liquids with different basic compounds such as polyethylene glycol, ferrocene, different linker lengths, TFSI anion, and biredox ionic liquids. The versatility of the redox ionic liquids synthesis will be discussed as well as the fundamental and applied aspects of their use as electrolytes, which have high charge densities. The impact of the redox ionic liquids on the electrochemical mechanisms will be described. We also present how the redox shuttle effect, detrimental to supercapacitors, can be prevented while it can be used to improve lithium-ion batteries.     

Photostimulated electron detrapping and the two-state model for electron transport in nonpolar liquids

In common nonpolar liquids, such as saturated hydrocarbons, there is a dynamic equilibrium between trapped (localized) and quasifree (extended) states of the excess electron (the two-state model). Using time-resolved dc conductivity, the effect of 1064 nm laser photoexcitation of trapped electrons on the charge transport has been observed in liquid n-hexane and methylcyclohexane. The light promotes the electron from the trap into the conduction band of the liquid. From the analysis of the two-pulse, two-color photoconductivity data, the residence time of the electrons in traps has been estimated as ca. 8.3 ps for n-hexane and ca. 13 ps for methylcyclohexane (at 295 K). The rate of detrapping decreases at lower temperature with an activation energy of ca. 200 meV (280-320 K); the lifetime-mobility product for quasifree electrons scales linearly with the temperature. We suggest that the properties of trapped electrons in hydrocarbon liquids can be well accounted for using the simple spherical cavity model. The estimated localization time of the quasifree electron is 20-50 fs; both time estimates are in agreement with the "quasiballistic" model. This localization time is significantly lower than the value of 310+/-100 fs obtained using time-domain terahertz (THz) spectroscopy for the same system [E. Knoesel, M. Bonn, J. Shan, F. Wang, and T. F. Heinz, J. Chem. Phys. 121, 394 (2004)]. We suggest that the THz signal originates from the oscillations of electron bubbles rather than the free-electron plasma; vibrations of these bubbles may be responsible for the deviations from the Drude behavior observed below 0.4 THz. Various implications of these results are discussed.     

Investigation of the Role of Ionic Liquids in Imparting Electrocatalytic Behavior to Carbon Paste Electrode

In this paper, a survey has been undertaken to clarify the possible reasons for the electrocatalytic activity obtained by the presence of ionic liquid in carbon paste electrode (CPE). For this purpose, the effect of the addition of traces of ionic liquid to conventional CPE was investigated. Fe(CN)₆^3?/4? was used as a probe and two ionic liquids, namely n‐octylpyridinum hexafluorophosphate and 1‐octyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexaflourophosphate were tested for their electrocatalytic activity. The reasons for this electrocatalytic behavior were evaluated and it was found that different factors such as increase in the ionic conduction of the binder, decrease in the resistance of the modified electrode, increase in ion exchange properties of the electrode and the inherent catalytic activity of ionic liquids are responsible for the considerable improved electrochemical response obtained in the presence of traces of ionic liquid.     

Electrical conductivity and translational diffusion in the 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquid

Broadband dielectric and terahertz spectroscopy (10(-2)-10(+12) Hz) are combined with pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance (PFG-NMR) to explore charge transport and translational diffusion in the 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquid. The dielectric spectra are interpreted as superposition of high-frequency relaxation processes associated with dipolar librations and a conductivity contribution. The latter originates from hopping of charge carriers on a random spatially varying potential landscape and quantitatively fits the observed frequency and temperature dependence of the spectra. A further analysis delivers the hopping rate and enables one to deduce--using the Einstein-Smoluchowski equation--the translational diffusion coefficient of the charge carriers in quantitative agreement with PFG-NMR measurements. By that, the mobility is determined and separated from the charge carrier density; for the former, a Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann and for the latter, an Arrhenius temperature dependence is obtained. There is no indication of a mode arising from the reorientation of stable ion pairs.     

梳状高分子固体电解质的离子导电性研究

深入研究了交替马来酸酐共聚物多缩乙二醇酯（ＣＰ３５０）两种锂盐络合物ＣＰ３５０／ＬｉＡｓＦ＿６和ＣＰ３５０／ＬｉＰＦ＿６的离子传导性能,给出了与复阻抗谱相对应的等效电路．离子电导率随［Ｌｉ］／［ＥＯ］的变化而出现一极大值,室温下,两体系电导率极大值分别为１．３８×１０（－４）,８．３２×１０（－５）Ｓ／ｃｍ．电导率随温度升高而增加．导电行为呈非－Ａｒｒｈｅｎｉｕｓ特征．阴阳离子半径之和（ｒ＿ｃ＋ｒ＿ａ）愈大,离子电导率愈高．     

Towards large-scale, fully ab initio calculations of ionic liquids

Ionic liquids have attracted a substantial amount of interest as replacement of traditional electrolytes in high efficiency electrochemical devices for generation and storage of energy due to their superior physical and chemical properties, especially low volatility and high electrochemical stability. For enhanced performance of the electrochemical devices ionic liquids are required to be highly conductive and low viscous. Long-range Coulomb and short-range dispersion interactions between ions affect physical and chemical properties of ionic liquids in a very complex way, thus preventing direct correlations to the chemical structure. Considering a vast combination of available cations and anions that can be used to synthesize ionic liquids, development of predictive theoretical approaches that allow for accurate tailoring of their physical properties has become crucial to further enhance the performance of electrochemical devices such as lithium batteries, fuel and solar cells. This perspective article gives a thorough overview of current theoretical approaches applied for studying thermodynamic (melting point and enthalpy of vapourisation) and transport (conductivity and viscosity) properties of ionic liquids, emphasizing their reliability and limitations. Strategies for improving predictive power and versatility of existing theoretical approaches are also outlined.     

Spectroscopic and Computational Insight into the Intermolecular Interactions between Zwitter‐Type Ionic Liquids and Water Molecules

Geometric and conformational changes of zwitter‐type ionic liquids (ZILs) due to hydrogen‐bonding interactions with water molecules are investigated by density functional theory (DFT), two‐dimensional IR correlation spectroscopy (2D IR COS), and pulsed‐gradient spin‐echo NMR (PGSE NMR). Simulation results indicate that molecular structures in the optimized states are strongly influenced by hydrogen bonding of water molecules with the sulfonate group or imidazolium and pyrrolidinium rings of 3‐(1‐methyl‐3‐imidazolio)propanesulfonate ( 1 ) and 3‐(1‐methyl‐1‐pyrrolidinio)propanesulfonate ( 2 ), respectively. Concentration‐dependent 2D IR COS reveals kinetic conformational changes of the two ZIL–H₂O systems attributable to intermolecular interactions, as well as the interactions of sulfonate groups and imidazolium or pyrrolidinium rings with water molecules. The dramatic changes in the ¹H self‐diffusion coefficients elucidate the formation of proton‐conduction pathways consisting of ZIL networks. In ZIL domains, protons are transferred by a Grotthuss‐type mechanism through formation, breaking, and restructuring of bonds between ZILs and H₂O, leading to an energetically favorable state. The simulation and experimental investigations delineated herein provide a perspective to understanding the interactions with water from an academic point of view as well as to designing ILs with desired properties from the viewpoint of applications.