Calorimetric Studies and Structural Aspects of Ionic Liquids in Designing Sorption Materials for Thermal Energy Storage

The thermal properties of a series of twenty‐four ionic liquids (ILs) have been determined by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) with the aim of simulating processes involving water sorption. For eleven water‐free ILs, the molecular structures have been determined by X‐ray crystallography in the solid state, which have been used to derive the molecular volumes of the ionic components of the ILs. Moreover, the structures reveal a high prevalence of hydrogen bonding in these compounds. A relationship between the molecular volumes and the experimentally determined energies of dilution could be established. The highest energies of dilution observed in this series were obtained for the acetate‐based ILs, which underlines their potential as working fluids in sorption‐based thermal energy storage systems.     

Ionic liquid/water mixtures: from hostility to conciliation

Water was originally inimical to ionic liquids (ILs) especially in the analysis of their detailed properties. Various data on the properties of ILs indicate that there are two ways to design functions of ionic liquids. The first is to change the structure of component ions, to provide "task-specific ILs". The second is to mix ILs with other components, such as other ILs, organic solvents or water. Mixing makes it easy to control the properties of the solution. In this strategy, water is now a very important partner. Below, we summarise our recent results on the properties of IL/water mixtures. Stable phase separation is an effective method in some separation processes. Conversely, a dynamic phase change between a homogeneous mixture and separation of phases is important in many fields. Analysis of the relation between phase behaviour and the hydration state of the component ions indicates that the pattern of phase separation is governed by the hydrophilicity of the ions. Sufficiently hydrophilic ions yielded ILs that are miscible with water, and hydrophobic ions gave stable phase separation with water. ILs composed of hydrophobic but hydrated ions undergo a dynamic phase change between a homogeneous mixture and separate phases according to temperature. ILs having more than seven water molecules per ion pair undergo this phase transition. These dynamic phase changes are considered, with some examples, and application is made to the separation of water-soluble proteins.     

Hydrogen bonding mediated ion pairs of some aprotic ionic liquids and their structural transition in aqueous solution

Ion pair speciation of ionic liquids(ILs) has an important effect on the physical and chemical properties of ILs and recognition of the structure of ion pairs in solution is essential. It has been reported that ion pairs of some ILs can be formed by hydrogen bonding interactions between cations and anions of them. Considering the fact that far-IR(FIR) spectroscopy is a powerful tool in indicating the intermolecular and intramolecular hydrogen bonding, in this work, this spectroscopic technique has been combined with molecular dynamic(MD) simulation and nuclear magnetic resonance hydrogen spectroscopy(~1H NMR) to investigate ion pairs of aprotic ILs [Bmim][NO_3], [BuPy][NO_3], [Pyr_(14)][NO_3], [PP_(14)][NO_3] and [Bu-choline][NO_3] in aqueous IL mixtures. The FIR spectra have been assigned with the aid of density functional theory(DFT) calculations, and the results are used to understand the effect of cationic nature on the structure of ion pairs. It is found that contact ion pairs formed in the neat aprotic ILs by hydrogen bonding interactions between cation and anion, were still maintained in aqueous solutions up to high water mole fraction(say 0.80 for [BuPy][NO3]). When water content was increased to a critical mole fraction of water(say 0.83 for [BuPy][NO3]), the contact ion pairs could be transformed into solvent-separated ion pairs due to the formation of the hydrogen bonding between ions and water. With the further dilution of the aqueous ILs solution, the solvent-separated ion pairs was finally turned into free cations and free anions(fully hydrated cations or anions). The concentrations of the ILs at which the contact ion pairs were transformed into solvent-separated ion pairs and solvent-separated ion pairs were transformed into free ions(fully hydrated ion) were dependent on the cationic structures. These information provides direct spectral evidence for ion pair structures of the aprotic ILs in aqueous solution. MD simulation and ~1H NMR results support the conclusion drawn from FIR spectra investigations.     

Specific phenomena in carboxylic acids extraction by selected types of hydrophobic ionic liquids

An overview on specific phenomena in extraction of carboxylic acids with hydrophobic ionic liquids (ILs) based on results of new measurements with selected phosphonium, ammonium and imidazolium ILs and published data is presented. Formation of IL – acid hydrated complexes with multiple molecules of organic acid per one IL ion pair was observed. The distribution coefficient of carboxylic acids and water content in ILs strongly decreases with the increasing acid concentration. Dependence of water content in the solvent passes through a minimum at loading of IL with butyric acid of about 3. Two extraction mechanisms are involved: competitive extraction of acid and water with the release of water from the solvent and co-extraction of water with acid depending on the IL concentration. A strong synergistic effect was observed between the cation and anion of ILs enhancing their extractive properties compared to IL precursors. A new extraction model suggests the formation of water bridges and polar nano-channels which is in agreement with the molecular modelling results. ILs are nano-segregated liquids with a structure sensitive to the content of molecular compounds. Water and carboxylic acids accumulate in polar domains and dodecane in non-polar domains modifying the IL structure and decreasing the solvent phase viscosity. The hypothesis of hopping mechanism in polar channels for acid molecules transport between acid chains at IL binding sites is suggested.     

离子液体表/界面性质与结构

离子液体与气体、溶剂等物质组成的多相体系为吸收、萃取、两相催化等技术的发展提供了新的平台。离子液体的表/界面性质与结构是含离子液体多相体系的重要科学问题,可在介观尺度下显著影响多相体系反应和分离过程的效率。近年来,离子液体表/界面性质和结构的研究得到了广泛的关注。本文综述了离子液体及其与水、有机溶剂组成的混合物的表/界面张力及结构研究进展,介绍了现有的研究方法、研究对象与研究成果,归纳了离子液体及其混合物表/界面张力及结构的变化规律,分析了表/界面结构与表/界面张力之间的关系,探讨了离子液体表/界面研究存在的问题和未来的发展方向。     

Organometallic Ionic Liquids Containing Sandwich Complexes: Molecular Design,Physical Properties,and Chemical Reactivities

Ionic liquids (ILs) are salts with low melting points and are useful as electrolytes and solvents. We have developed ILs containing cationic metal complexes, which form a family of functional liquids that exhibit unique physical properties and chemical reactivities originating from metal complexes. Our study explores the liquid chemistry in the field of coordination chemistry, where solid-state chemistry is currently the main focus. This review describes the molecular design, physical properties, and reactivities of organometallic ILs containing sandwich or half-sandwich complexes. This paper mainly covers stimuli-responsive ILs, whose magnetic properties, solvent polarities, colors, or structures change by the application of external fields, such as light, heat, and magnetic fields, or by reaction with coordinating molecules.     

离子液体吸收分离SO2

离子液体具有极低的挥发性、良好的热稳定性和化学稳定性以及结构性质可调等特点,被认为是一种环境友好的溶剂。由于其结构性质可调,可以设计合成出对SO₂有较高溶解能力和选择性的离子液体,在SO₂的吸收和分离领域得到了研究者的青睐。本文综述了各种用于分离捕集烟气和混合气体中SO₂的离子液体,介绍了它们的结构特点、吸收特性和强化方法,探讨了离子液体脱硫的相关机理,最后对离子液体吸收分离SO₂中存在的问题、发展方向和应用前景进行了论述。     

STM studies on porphyrins

Porphyrins are promising components to be used in molecular electronics due to their rich electronic/photonic properties. Preparation of supramolecular architectures of porphyrins on solid surfaces would constitute a basis for further development toward molecular circuitry or other constructs for molecular electronics applications. Assemblies on surfaces can be probed with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at submolecular resolutions to reveal the arrangements and conformations of molecules on an individual molecule basis. The electronic characteristics within a single porphyrin molecule can also be probed by means of the same technique. This review summarizes the status quo of STM studies on porphyrins on surfaces with regard to their assemblies, structures, and electronic properties at the single molecule level.     

Physico-chemical processes in imidazolium ionic liquids

Among the various properties exhibited by ionic liquids (ILs)--especially those based on the imidazolium cation-their inherent ionic patterns, very low vapour pressure and pronounced self-organization in the solid, liquid and even in the gas phase are particularly interesting since this allows the use of these fluids as alternative and complementary media to classical organic solvents and water in many applications. Hence, reaction paths that involve charge-separated intermediates or transition states are accelerated--by lowering the activation barrier-in the presence of ILs when compared with those performed in classical organic solvents. It is also possible, for example, to observe, by electrochemical methods, transient species (ionic and radical) that are otherwise undetectible in water or in molecular organic solvents and to investigate the interactions and behaviour of molecular, biological and macromolecular species in solution using physical and chemical methods which require special conditions such as high-vacuum, and which have been traditionally limited to solid state chemistry.     

Effects of water content on the dissolution behavior of wool keratin using 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dimethylphosphate

Ionic liquids(ILs) are eco-friend and recyclable solvents for dissolution of wool keratin, and water is often used as antisolvent to regenerate keratin from IL solution. To recycle the ILs, removing water is the necessary step. However, complete removal of the water is energy-intensive and costly. The water in ionic liquids would change the physicochemical properties and cluster structures of the IL and further affect its dissolution behavior on keratin. Here, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dimethylphosphate([Emim]DMP) was used for experiments due to its good performance on dissolving keratin. The experimental and simulation results showed that the dissolving capability of [Emim]DMP was decreased and the interactions between cation and anion became weaker with water concentration increasing. Furthermore, the dissolution time of wool keratin in [Emim]DMP increased with water content rising. At the same time, the effect of water in ILs on the secondary structure distribution and thermal stability of regenerated keratin was not obvious. In this work, by taking the structures of [Emim]DMP, keratin dissolution time and properties of the regenerated keratin into consideration, a balanced range of water content in [Emim]DMP was determined, which could not only reduce recycling cost but also not affect the dissolution behavior of the IL.     

Crystal growth simulations of methane hydrates in the presence of silica surfaces

We present a molecular dynamics simulation study of the crystal growth of methane hydrates in the presence of model silica (SiO(2)) surfaces. The crystal growth under apparent steady-state conditions shows a clear preference for bulk solution. We observe rather disordered water arrangements very close to the silica surface within about 5 ? in both liquid and crystalline regions of the system. These disordered structures have dynamic and structural properties intermediate between those exhibited by molecules in bulk liquid and crystalline phases. The presence of methane molecules appears to help stabilize these structures. We observe that under appropriate conditions, the hydroxylated silica surfaces can serve as a source of methane molecules which can help promote hydrate growth near the surfaces.     

All-atom and united-atom simulations of guanidinium-based ionic liquids

Ionic liquids (ILs) have been widely used in separation, catalysis, electrochemistry, etc., and one of the most outstanding characteristics is that ILs can be tailored and tuned for specific tasks. In order to design and make better use of ionic liquids, the structures and properties relationship is indispensable. Both molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations have been proved useful to understand the behavior of molecules at the microscale and the properties of the system. However, the quality of such simulations depends on force field parameters describing the interactions between atoms. All-atom (AA) or the united-atom (UA) force fields will be chosen because of the demand for more exact results or the lower computational cost, respectively. In order to make a systematic comparison of the two force fields, molecular simulations for four kinds of acyclic guanidinium-based ionic liquids (cations: (R2N)2C=N+<, anion: nitric or perchloric acid) were performed based on the AA and the UA force fields in this work. AA force field parameters were derived from our previous work (Fluid Phase Equilib., 2008, 272: 1-7), and the UA parameters were proposed in this work. Molecular dynamics simulation results for the AA and UA force fields were compared. Simulation densities are very similar to each other. Center of mass radial distribution functions (RDFs), site to site RDFs and spatial distribution functions (SDFs) were also investigated to depict the microscopic structures of the ILs.     

Properties of alkylbenzimidazoles for CO2 and SO2 capture and comparisons to ionic liquids

To date, few reports have been concerned with the physical properties of the liquid phases of imidazoles and benzimidazoles-potential starting materials for a great number of ionic liquids. Prior research has indicated that alkylimidazole solvents exhibit different, and potentially advantageous physical properties, when compared to corresponding imidazolium-based ionic liquids. Given that even the most fundamental physical properties of alkylimidazole solvents have only recently been reported, there is still a lack of data for other relevant imidazole derivatives, including benzimidazoles. In this work, we have synthesized a series of eight 1-n-alkylbenzimidazoles, with chain lengths ranging from ethyl to dodecyl, all of which exist as neat liquids at ambient temperature. Their densities and viscosities have been determined as functions of both temperature and molecular weight. Alkylbenzimidazoles have been found to exhibit viscosities that are more similar to imidazolium-based ILs than alkylimidazoles, owed to a large contribution to viscosity from the presence of a fused ring system. Solubilities of CO2 and SO2, two species of concern in the emission of coal-fired power generation, were determined for selected alkylbenzimidazoles to understand what effects a fused ring system might have on gas solubility. For both gases, alkylbenzimidazoles were determined to experience physical, non-chemically reactive, interactions. The solubility of CO2 in alkylbenzimidazoles is 10%-30% less than observed for corresponding ILs and alkylimidazoles. 1-butylbenzimidazole was found to readily absorb at least 0.333 gram SO2 per gram at low pressure and ambient temperature, which could be readily desorbed under an N2 flush, a behavior more similar to imidazolium-based ILs than alkylimidazoles. Thus, we find that as solvents for gas separations, benzimidazoles share characteristics with both ILs and alkylimidazoles.     

Tunable LCST-type phase behavior of [FeCl4]--based ionic liquids in water

In this work, 16 kinds of [FeCl₄]^--based magnetic ionic liquids (ILs) with different cation structures have been designed and synthesized, and their structures are characterized by IR and Raman spectroscopy. Then the lower critical solution temperature (LCST)-type phase behavior of these magnetic ILs in water is investigated as a function of concentration. It is shown that cation structure, alkyl chain length and molar ratio of FeCl₃/chloride IL have a significant influence on the LCST of the mixtures. The phase separation temperature can be tuned efficiently by these factors. Meanwhile, the LCST-type phase separation process is also investigated by dynamic light scattering. The results support the mechanism that the hydrogen bonds of the [FeCl₄]^- anion with water have been gradually disrupted to form ILs aggregates with increasing temperature. In addition, the stability of the ILs in water is also examined in some details. These LCST-type phase separation systems may have potential applications in extraction and separation techniques at room temperature.     

Temperature-responsive ionic liquid/water interfaces: relation between hydrophilicity of ions and dynamic phase change

Phase separation between ionic liquids (ILs) and molecular liquids is of interest physico-chemically, and also has industrial relevance. IL/water mixtures are of great interest in many fields. Unlike static phase separation between IL and water, dynamic shifts of IL/water mixtures between a homogeneous mixture and separate phases have a wide variety of applications. The miscibility of ILs with water generally increases upon heating, and a few ILs undergo a lower critical solution temperature (LCST)-type phase transition with water in which the separated biphases become miscible upon cooling. As the phase transition is controlled by changing the temperature by a few degrees, the LCST-type phase response of IL/water mixtures makes it possible to use ILs as solvents in various energy-saving processes. Since many hydrophilic ILs do not undergo phase separation with water, we aim to determine the necessary conditions under which hydrophobic ILs undergo the phase transition. Based on physico-chemical analysis of many hydrophobic ILs that undergo a phase separation after mixing with water, we find there is a particular range of "hydrophilicity" of these hydrophobic ILs within which the LCST-type phase transition is possible. Accordingly, a hydrophilicity index (HI) of ILs is proposed, in terms of the number of water molecules in the separated IL phase. The HI value proves to be a good indicator of the phase behaviour of IL/water mixtures, as well as their phase transition temperature. Potential application of the LCST-type phase change to the selective extraction of water-soluble proteins is also summarised.     

1,8-二巯基芘分子电学特性的理论研究

Based on the first principle,electrical properties of a molecular junction consisting of pyrene-1,8-dithiol molecule and gold surface have been investigated. The cluster of three gold atoms is used to simulate the gold surface. Density functional theory is employed to obtain the electronic structures of the molecule and the extended molecule. Then the frontier orbital theory and the perturbation theory are used to determine the interaction energy between the molecule and the gold surface quantitatively. The elastic Green function method is applied to study the current-voltage properties of the molecular junction. Numerical results show that the sulfur atoms can be chemically absorbed on the gold surface and the bonding between the molecule and gold is mainly covalent-typed. The fermienergy of the extended molecular system lies between the HOMO and the LUMO and closer to the HOMO of the system. When the external applied bias is lower than 1 V,there is a current gap for the molecular junction. With the increasing of the bias,the conductance of the junction exhibits plateaus. These electrical properties are closely related with the electronic structures of the molecular junction. The extended molecular orbits have great contribution to the charge transport. Localized molecular orbits give little contribution to the current while charge transport is taken place by tunneling.     

Effect of microhydration on the guanidinium···benzene interaction

The effect of microhydration on the interaction of guanidinium cation with benzene has been studied by employing ab initio calculations. Four different structural arrangements were considered for the guanidinium···benzene interaction to which up to six water molecules were added. T-shaped structures are usually the most stable, but as water molecules are included the energy differences with the parallel structures decrease, reaching a point where parallel complexes are even more stable than T-shaped ones. Therefore, the inclusion of water molecules promotes a change in the structure of the cation···π contact. The analysis reveals that these stability changes are more related with the structure of the hydrating water molecules than to a modulation of the cation···π interaction. Already with three water molecules, one water molecule in the T-shaped complex has to be located in the second solvation shell, whereas in parallel structures this occurs with four water molecules. As a consequence energy differences among structures decrease. The calculations show that the nature of the interaction is almost unaffected in T-shaped structures, whereas an important dispersion increment is observed in parallel ones, though its overall effect is small.     

Free enthalpies of replacing water molecules in protein binding pockets

Water molecules in the binding pocket of a protein and their role in ligand binding have increasingly raised interest in recent years. Displacement of such water molecules by ligand atoms can be either favourable or unfavourable for ligand binding depending on the change in free enthalpy. In this study, we investigate the displacement of water molecules by an apolar probe in the binding pocket of two proteins, cyclin-dependent kinase 2 and tRNA-guanine transglycosylase, using the method of enveloping distribution sampling (EDS) to obtain free enthalpy differences. In both cases, a ligand core is placed inside the respective pocket and the remaining water molecules are converted to apolar probes, both individually and in pairs. The free enthalpy difference between a water molecule and a CH₃ group at the same location in the pocket in comparison to their presence in bulk solution calculated from EDS molecular dynamics simulations corresponds to the binding free enthalpy of CH₃ at this location. From the free enthalpy difference and the enthalpy difference, the entropic contribution of the displacement can be obtained too. The overlay of the resulting occupancy volumes of the water molecules with crystal structures of analogous ligands shows qualitative correlation between experimentally measured inhibition constants and the calculated free enthalpy differences. Thus, such an EDS analysis of the water molecules in the binding pocket may give valuable insight for potency optimization in drug design.     

Crystalline Supramolecular Nanofibers Based on Dehydrobenzoannulene Derivatives

Supramolecular nanofibers (SNFs) composed of low‐molecular‐weight π‐conjugated molecules exhibit attractive optical and electrical properties and are expected to be the next optoelectronic materials. In this work, five crystalline SNFs have been constructed from three dehydrobenzoannulene (DBA) derivatives. The DBAs were designed to assemble in one dimension in a strategy based on anisotropic crystal growth. The crystallinity of the SNFs allowed the molecular arrangements in the SNFs to be determined. Therefore the mechanism of construction and correlations between the molecular arrangements and optical and electrical properties could be considered. The results clearly indicate that the properties of the SNFs are affected by the chemical structures and molecular arrangements. Moreover, one of the SNFs exhibits a high charge‐carrier mobility (Σμ=0.61 cm² V^?1 s^?1) because of its crystallinity and appropriate molecular arrangement. This systematic experimental study based on a proposed strategy has provided information for improving the electrical properties of SNFs. This strategy will lead to highly functional SNFs.