Particle self-assembly at ionic liquid-based interfaces

This review presents an overview of the nature of ionic liquid (IL)-based interfaces and self-assembled particle morphologies of IL-in-water, oil- and water-in-IL, and novel IL-in-IL Pickering emulsions with emphasis on their unique phenomena, by means of experimental and computational studies. In IL-in-water Pickering emulsions, particles formed monolayers at ionic liquid–water interfaces and were close-packed on fully covered emulsion droplets or aggregated on partially covered droplets. Interestingly, other than equilibrating at the ionic liquid–water interfaces, microparticles with certain surface chemistries were extracted into the ionic liquid phase with a high efficiency. These experimental findings were supported by potential of mean force calculations, which showed large energy drops as hydrophobic particles crossed the interface into the IL phase. In the oil- and water-in-IL Pickering emulsions, microparticles with acidic surface chemistries formed monolayer bridges between the internal phase droplets rather than residing at the oil/water–ionic liquid interfaces, a significant deviation from traditional Pickering emulsion morphology. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed aspects of the mechanism behind this bridging phenomenon, including the role of the droplet phase, surface chemistry, and inter-particle film. Novel IL-in-IL Pickering emulsions exhibited an array of self-assembled morphologies including the previously observed particle absorption and bridging phenomena. The appearance of these morphologies depended on the particle surface chemistry as well as the ILs used. The incorporation of particle self-assembly with ionic liquid science allows for new applications at the intersection of these two fields, and have the potential to be numerous due to the tunability of the ionic liquids and particles incorporated, as well as the particle morphology by combining certain groups of particle surface chemistry, IL type (protic or aprotic), and whether oil or water is incorporated.     

Particle self-assembly in ionic liquid-in-water Pickering emulsions

We report the self-assembly of a single species or a binary mixture of microparticles in ionic liquid-in-water Pickering emulsions, with emphases on the interfacial self-assembled particle structure and the partitioning preference of free particles in the dispersed and continuous phases. The particles form monolayers at ionic liquid-water interfaces and are close-packed on fully covered emulsion droplets or aggregated on partially covered droplets. In contrast to those at oil-water interfaces, no long-range-ordered colloidal lattices are observed. Interestingly, other than equilibrating at the ionic liquid-water interfaces, the microparticles also exhibit a partitioning preference in the dispersed and continuous phases: the sulfate-treated polystyrene (S-PS) and aldehyde-sulfate-treated polystyrene (AS-PS) microparticles are extracted to the ionic liquid phase with a high extraction efficiency, whereas the amine-treated polystyrene (A-PS) microparticles remain in the water phase.     

Fabrication of core/shell hybrid organic–inorganic polymer microspheres via Pickering emulsion polymerization using laponite nanoparticles

Oil-in-water (o/w) emulsions of styrene, as monomer oil in water, were achieved successfully via Pickering emulsification with laponite nanoparticles as the sole inorganic stabilizers. The formed emulsions showed excellent stability not only against droplets coalescence (before polymerization) but also against microparticles coagulation (after polymerization). Generally, the number of composite polystyrene microparticles (PS) increased and their sizes decreased with the content of solid nanoparticles used in stabilizing the precursor o/w emulsions. This is consistent with the formation of rigid layer(s) of the inorganic nanoparticles around the PS microparticles thus a better stability was achieved. The composite microparticles were characterized using various techniques such as surface charge, stability, transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR). Coating films of the prepared latexes were applied to flat glass surfaces and showed reasonable adhesion compared to PS latex particles prepared with conventional surfactants. The effect of employed conditions on the features of the resulting emulsions in terms of stability and particle size has been discussed.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of charged nanoparticle self-assembly at ionic liquid-water and ionic liquid-oil interfaces

Nanoparticle self-assembly at liquid-liquid interfaces can be significantly affected by the individual nanoparticle charges. This is particularly true at ionic liquid (IL) based interfaces, where Coulombic forces play a major role. Employing 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM][PF(6)]) as a model IL, we have studied the self-assembly of hydrophobic nanoparticles with different surface charges at the IL/water and IL/oil (hexane) interfaces using molecular dynamics simulations. In the IL/water system, the nanoparticles were initially dispersed in the water phase but quickly equilibrated at the interface, somewhat in favor of the IL phase. This preference was lessened with increased nanoparticle charge. In the IL/hexane system, all charged nanoparticles interacted with the IL to some extent, whereas the uncharged nanoparticles remained primarily in the hexane phase. Potential of mean force calculations supported the observations from the equilibrium studies and provided new insights into the interactions of the nanoparticles and ionic liquid based interfaces.     

Flow-focusing generation of monodisperse water droplets wrapped by ionic liquid on microfluidic chips: from plug to sphere

Generating droplets via microfluidic chips is a promising technology in microanalysis and microsynthesis. To realize room-temperature ionic liquid (IL)-water two-phase studies in microscale, a water-immiscible IL was employed as the continuous phase for the first time to wrap water droplets (either plugs or spheres) on flow-focusing microfluidic chips. The IL, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM][PF6]), could wet both hydrophilic and hydrophobic channel surfaces because of its dual role of hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity and extremely high viscosity, thus offering the possibility of wrapping water droplets in totally hydrophilic (THI), moderately hydrophilic (MHI), and hydrophobic (HO) channels. The droplet shape could be tuned from plug to sphere, with the volume from 6.3 nL to 65 pL, by adding an orifice in the focusing region, rendering the hydrophilic channel surface hydrophobic, and suppressing the Uw/UIL ratio below 1.0. Three different breakup processes were defined and clarified, in which the sub-steady breakup and steady breakup were essential for the formation of plugs and spheric droplets, respectively. The influences of channel hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity on droplet formation were carefully studied by evaluating the wetting abilities of water and IL on different surfaces. The superiority of IL over water in wetting hydrophobic surface led to the tendency of forming small, spheric aqueous droplets in the hydrophobic channel. This IL-favored droplet-based system represented a high efficiency in water/IL extraction, in which rhodamine 6G was extracted from aqueous droplets to [BMIM][PF6] in the hydrophobic orifice-included (HO-OI) channel in 0.51 s.     

Protein structure and dynamics in ionic liquids. Insights from molecular dynamics simulation studies

We present in this work the first molecular simulation study of an enzyme, the serine protease cutinase from Fusarium solani pisi, in two ionic liquids (ILs): 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM][PF6]) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium nitrate ([BMIM][NO(3)]). We tested different water contents in these ILs at room temperature (298 K) and high temperature (343 K), and we observe that the enzyme structure is highly dependent on the amount of water present in the IL media. We show that the enzyme is preferentially stabilized in [BMIM][PF6] at 5-10% (w/w) (weight of water over protein) water content at room temperature. [BMIM][PF6] renders a more nativelike enzyme structure at the same water content of 5-10% (w/w) as previously found for hexane, and the system displays a similar bell-shape-like dependence with the water content in the IL media. [BMIM][PF6] is shown to increase significantly the protein thermostability at high temperatures, especially at low hydration. Our analysis indicates that the enzyme is less stabilized in [BMIM][NO(3)] relative to [BMIM][PF6] at both temperatures, most likely due to the strong affinity of the [NO(3)]- anion toward the protein main chain. These findings are in accordance with the experimental knowledge for these two ionic liquids. We also show that these ILs "strip off" most of the water from the enzyme surface in a degree similar to that found for polar organic solvents such as acetonitrile, and that the remaining waters at the enzyme surface are organized in many small clusters.     

Apparent microrheology of oil-water interfaces by single-particle tracking

We investigate the dynamics of charged microparticles at polydimethylsiloxane (oil)-water interfaces using Pickering emulsions as an experimental template. The mobility of the charged particles depends largely on the viscoelastic properties of the oil phase and the wettability of the solid particles. In addition, we have explored the potential of developing microrheology at liquid-liquid interfaces from the single-particle tracking technique. The apparent loss modulus, storage modulus, and relaxation time of the oil-water interfaces obtained from singe-particle microrheology depend strongly on the surface nature of the tracer particles, especially when the oil phase is viscoelastic.     

Crystallization kinetics and the fine morphological evolution of poly(ethylene oxide)/ionic liquid mixtures

The overall crystallization kinetics and spherulite morphologies of miscible poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO)/1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate([BMIM][PF_6]) mixtures were studied by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC),polarized optical microscopy(POM) and rheological measurements. The finer crystal structures were further detected by wide angle X-ray diffraction(WAXD) and small angle X-ray scattering(SAXS). Crystallization of PEO is largely suppressed by [BMIM][PF_6] addition especially at higher ionic liquid(IL) concentrations above 20 wt%. Both the overall crystallization rate and the spherulite growth decrease with the increase of IL content and crystallization temperature; however, the crystallization mechanism keeps unchanged as evidenced by the similar Avrami exponent n and WAXD results. The addition of [BMIM][PF_6] could induce more nuclei to some extent, but the induction time of crystallization is evidently prolonged,and a linear to non-linear transition of the spherulite growth(R ∝ t to R ∝ t~(1/2)) can be observed. At higher IL concentration,the spherulite texture changes apparently from particular serrated to branch surface due to the diffusion-controlled growth and the dilution effect, which also as a main factor contributes to the increasing trend of the long period of crystals.     

用[BMIM][Cu2Cl3]离子液体萃取脱除汽油中的硫化物

以不同的IL（ionic liquid）/油质量比,采用[BMIM][Cu2Cl3]（[BMIM]=1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium）对模型汽油和商品汽油进行单步和多步萃取脱硫实验;并合成几种具有不同阴离子和阳离子结构的离子液体,评价和比较了离子液体对商品汽油的萃取脱硫性能的影响。实验结果表明,具有较好的水稳定性和常温流动性的[BMIM] [Cu2Cl3]离子液体硫容较高,在IL/油质量比为1∶3时,经多步萃取后,油品中的硫质量分数降至20×10-6～30×10-6,累计脱硫率超过95%。汽油中其他组分对脱硫效果影响很小。[BMIM][Cu2Cl3]与汽油形成稳定的两相系统,分离方便。离子液体脱硫能力可以通过四氯化碳反萃取完全恢复。     

Sum frequency generation study of the room-temperature ionic liquids/quartz interface

The purpose of this investigation is to study the ionic liquid/quartz interface with sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG). SFG spectroscopy was chosen for this study because of its unique ability to yield vibrational spectra of molecules at an interface. Different polarization combinations are used, which probe different susceptibilities, giving SFG the ability to determine molecular orientation at the interface. The ionic liquids used were 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, [BMIM][BF(4)], and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, [BMIM][PF(6)]. To determine the influence of the molecular structure and charge on orientation at the interface, neutral, 1-methylimidazole, and 1-butylimidazole were also studied. Raman spectra and depolarization ratios were obtained for neat samples of 1-methylimidazole, 1-butylimidazole, and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate recorded from 2700 to 3300 cm(-1). SFG spectra of the 1-methylimidazole/quartz interface showed both methyl and aromatic C-H vibrations. Orientation calculations determined that the ring of the molecule is tilted 45-68 degrees from normal, with the methyl group oriented 32-35 degrees from normal. The SFG spectra of 1-butylimidazole contain several resonances from the alkyl chain with only one weak resonance from the aromatic ring. Orientation calculations suggest that the ring is lying in the plane of the surface with the methyl group pointing 43-47 degrees from normal. The orientation of the [BMIM][PF(6)] ionic liquid was sensitive to trace amounts of water and had to be evacuated to <3 x 10(-5) Torr for the water to be removed. SFG spectra of both ionic liquids were similar, displaying resonances from the alkyl chain as well as the aromatic ring. Orientation analysis suggests the aromatic ring was tilted 45-90 degrees from normal for [BMIM][BF(4)], while the ring for [BMIM][PF(6)] was tilted 38-58 degrees from normal. This suggests the orientation of the molecule is influenced by the size of the anion.     

碱式碳酸铜微球的表面改性和组装

报道了通过分散聚合反应在碱式碳酸铜微球表面锚接聚苯乙烯纳米粒子, 以调节其亲水/亲油性的方法. 结果表明, 锚接的聚苯乙烯纳米粒子尺寸愈大, 所得的改性碱式碳酸铜微球疏水性愈强. 用对油和水润湿性适中的改性碱式碳酸铜微球为乳化剂, 能够制备出稳定的油包水型Pickering乳液. 改性碱式碳酸铜微球组装在Pickering乳液的分散相液滴表面, 形成一个固体壳层. 将Pickering 乳液的分散相水核凝胶化, 合成出分级结构琼脂糖凝胶微球.     

A Bloembergen–Purcell–Pound <Superscript>13</Superscript>C NMR relaxation study of the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate

The molecular structure and rotational motion of the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM][PF6]) were studied over a wide temperature range using the Bloembergen–Purcell–Pound ¹³C NMR spin–lattice relaxation method and NOE factors. Examination of the spin–lattice relaxation times (T ₁) and the rates (R ₁=1/T ₁) of the 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium cation reveals the relative motions of each carbon in the imidazolium cation. The rotational characteristics of the [BMIM] cation are supported by ab-initio molecular structures of [BMIM][PF6] using density functional theory (DFT) and Hartree–Fock (HF) methods. The ab-initio gas phase structures of [BMIM][PF6] indicate that the 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium C2 hydrogen, the ring methyl group, and the butyl side-chain hydrogen atoms form hydrogen bonds with the hexafluorophosphate anion.     

少量离子液体对有机相R.miehei脂肪酶催化合成辛酸戊酯的影响

研究了疏水性离子液体[BMIM][PF6]对脂肪酶R. miehei有机相催化合成辛酸戊酯反应的影响,并结合荧光发射光谱分析R. miehei构象变化与酶活性表达的关联。结果表明,该酯化反应在饱和烷烃中的初速度比在芳烃中的大,且当溶剂logP为1.5～3.5时,反应初速度随logP的增加而降低。在不同有机溶剂中,加入占辛酸质量1%的[BMIM][PF6]均导致反应初速度降低15%左右,降低幅度几乎不与溶剂种类有关。表明[BMIM][PF6]对该反应的影响与所在溶剂系统无关,而只与离子液体的加入有关。[BMIM][PF6]加入量为辛酸质量1%～3%时,以壬烷为溶剂时的反应初速度随[BMIM][PF6]加入量的增加而降低,进一步表明离子液体的加入量是影响反应初速度的重要因素。荧光光谱分析表明,酶活性的表现与酶分子的构象变化有一定的相关性。     

Fabrication of macroporous polystyrene/graphene oxide composite monolith and its adsorption property for tetracycline

Macroporous polystyrene microsphere/graphene oxide(PS/GO) composite monolith was first prepared using Pickering emulsion droplets as the soft template. The Pickering emulsion was stabilized by PS/GO composite particles in-situ formed in an acidic water phase. With the evaporation of water and the oil phase(octane), the Pickering emulsion droplets agglomerated and combined with each other, forming a three-dimensional macroporous PS/GO composite matrix with excellent mechanical strength. The size of the macrospores ranged from 4 mm to 20 mm. The macroporous PS/GO composite monolith exhibited high adsorption capacity for tetracycline(TC) in an aqueous solution at p H 4–6. The maximum adsorption capacity reached 197.9 mg g 1at p H 6. The adsorption behaviour of TC fitted well with the Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. This work offers a simple and efficient approach to fabricate macroporous GO-based monolith with high strength and adsorption ability for organic pollutants.     

The effect of C2 substitution on melting point and liquid phase dynamics of imidazolium based-ionic liquids: insights from molecular dynamics simulations

Using molecular dynamics simulations, the melting points and liquid phase dynamic properties were studied for four alkyl-imidazolium-based ionic liquids, 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM][PF6]), 1-n-butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMMIM][PF6]), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([EMIM][PF6]), and 1-ethyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([EMMIM][PF6]), respectively. Experimentally it has been observed that the substitution of a methyl group for a hydrogen at the C2 position of the cation ring leads to an increase in both the melting point and liquid phase viscosity, contrary to arguments that had been made regarding associations between the ions. The melting points of the four ionic liquids were accurately predicted using simulations, as were the trends in viscosity. The simulation results show that the origin of the effect is mainly entropic, although enthalpy also plays an important role.     

New Pickering emulsions stabilized by bacterial cellulose nanocrystals

We studied oil in water Pickering emulsions stabilized by cellulose nanocrystals obtained by hydrochloric acid hydrolysis of bacterial cellulose. The resulting solid particles, called bacterial cellulose nanocrystals (BCNs), present an elongated shape and low surface charge density, forming a colloidal suspension in water. The BCNs produced proved to stabilize the hexadecane/water interface, promoting monodispersed oil in water droplets around 4 μm in diameter stable for several months. We characterized the emulsion and visualized the particles at the surface of the droplets by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and calculated the droplet coverage by varying the BCN concentration in the aqueous phase. A 60% coverage limit has been defined, above which very stable, deformable droplets are obtained. The high stability of the more covered droplets was attributed to the particle irreversible adsorption associated with the formation of a 2D network. Due to the sustainability and low environmental impact of cellulose, the BCN based emulsions open opportunities for the development of environmentally friendly new materials.     

Solution structures of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ionic liquid saturated with CO2: Experimental evidence of specific anion-CO2 interaction

X-ray diffraction measurements for 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ionic liquid ([BMIM][PF6])-CO2 systems were carried out at high pressures with a newly developed polymer cell. The intermolecular distribution functions (g(inter)(r)) were obtained at 25 degrees C for neat [BMIM][PF6] and its solutions saturated with CO2 at 4 and 15 MPa, where the mole fractions (x) of CO2 correspond to 0.5 and 0.7, respectively. In g(inter)(r) for x = 0.5, two peaks appeared at around 2.8 and 3.2 A. These two peaks in g(inter)(r) appreciably increased for x = 0.7; moreover, there was another peak observed at approximately 3.8 A. Only assuming the correlations between CO2 and [PF6]-, it is reasonably determined that the nearest-neighbor P([PF6]-). . .C(CO2) distances are 3.57 and 3.59 A with the coordination numbers being 1.8 and 4.0 for x = 0.5 and 0.7, respectively. It is concluded that CO2 molecules are preferentially solvated to the [PF6]- anion.     

Surface tension of binary mixtures of imidazolium and ammonium based ionic liquids with alcohols, or water: cation, anion effect

The surface tensions were measured at atmospheric pressure, with use of a ring tensiometer, of a series of alcoholic solutions of closely related ionic liquids: 1-methyl-3-methylimidazolium methylsulfate, [MMIM][CH3SO4] in alcohol (methanol, or ethanol, or 1-butanol at 298.15 K), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium methylsulfate, [BMIM][CH3SO4] in alcohol (methanol, or ethanol, or 1-butanol at 298.15 K), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium octylsulfate, [BMIM][OcSO4] in alcohol (methanol, or 1-butanol at 298.15 K) and of 1-hexyloxymethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, [C6H(13)OCH2MIM][BF4], 1,3-dihexyloxymethylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, [(C6H13OCH2)2IM][BF4] in alcohol (methanol, or 1-butanol, or 1-hexanol at 308.15 and 318.5 K) and hexyl(2-hydroxyethyl)dimethylammonium bromide, C6Br in 1-octanol at 298.15 K. The set of ammonium ionic liquids of different cations and anions (C2Br, C2BF4, C2PF6, C2N(CN)2, C3Br, C4Br and C6Br) was chosen to show the influence of small amount of the ammonium ionic liquid on the surface tension of water at 298.15 K. The influence of the cation, or anion alkyl chain length on the properties under study (densities and surface tension) was tested.     

Molecular Dynamic Study of the Behavior of Confined [BMIM][PF6] Ionic Liquids: Pore Size Dependence

Russian Journal of Physical Chemistry A - This work aimed to investigate the structural and dynamical properties of ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM][PF6])...     

Fabrication of macroporous foam and microspheres of polystyrene by Pickering emulsion polymerization

Poly(styrene-co-methacrylic acid) (PS-co-MAA) particles were synthesized via surfactant-free emulsion polymerization and then used as particulate emulsifiers for preparation of Pickering emulsions. Our results showed that adjusting the solution pH can tune the wettability of PS-co-MAA particles to stabilize either water-in-oil (W/O) or oil-in-water (O/W) Pickering emulsions. Stable W/O emulsions were obtained with PS-co-MAA particles at low pH values due to their better affinity to the dispersed oil phase. In contrast, increasing the pH value significantly changed the stabilizing behavior of the PS-co-MAA particles, leading to the phase inversion and formation of stable O/W emulsions. We found that the oil/water ratio had a significant influence on pH value of the phase inversion. It decreased with decreasing the oil/water ratio, and no phase inversion occurred when the styrene volume fraction reduced to 10 %. Additionally, macroporous polystyrene (PS) foam and PS microspheres were obtained via polymerization of Pickering high internal phase emulsion (Pickering HIPE) and O/W Pickering emulsion, respectively.