CO(2) as a separation switch for ionic liquid/organic mixtures

A novel technique to separate ionic liquids from organic compounds is introduced which uses carbon dioxide to induce the formation of an ionic liquid-rich phase and an organic-rich liquid phase in mixtures of methanol and 3-butyl-1-methyl-imidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([C4mim][PF6]). If the temperature is above the critical temperature of CO2 then the methanol-rich phase can become completely miscible with the CO2-rich phase, and this new phase is completely ionic liquid-free. Since CO2 is nonpolar, it is not equipped to solvate ions. As the CO2 dissolves in the methanol/[C4mim][PF6] mixture, the solvent power of the CO2-expanded liquid is significantly reduced, inducing the formation of the second liquid phase that is rich in ionic liquid. This presents a new way to recover products from ionic liquid mixtures and purify organic phases that have been contaminated with ionic liquid. Moreover, these results have important implications for reactions done in CO2/ionic liquid biphasic mixtures.     

CO2 Capture technologies: Current status and new directions using supported ionic liquid phase (SILP) absorbers

Current state-of-the-art techniques for CO2 capture are presented and discussed. Post-combustion capture of CO2 by absorption is the technology most easily retrofitted to existing installations, but at present this is not economically viable to install and run. Using ionic liquids instead of aqueous amine solutions overcomes the major thermodynamic issues. By applying SILP technology further advances, in terms of ease of handling and sorption dynamics, are obtained. Initial experimental studies showed that ionic liquids such as tetrahexylammonium prolinate, [N6666][Pro], provide a good candidate for CO2 absorption using SILP technology. Thus a solid SILP absorber comprised of 40 wt% [N6666][Pro] loaded on precalcined silica quantitatively takes up about 1.2 mole CO2 per mole of ionic liquid in consecutive absorption-desorption cycles in a flow-experiment performed with 0.09 bar of CO2 (9% CO2 in He).     

Improving carbon dioxide solubility in ionic liquids

Previously we showed that CO2 could be used to extract organic molecules from ionic liquids without contamination of the ionic liquid. Consequently a number of other groups demonstrated that ionic liquid/CO2 biphasic systems could be used for homogeneously catalyzed reactions. Large differences in the solubility of various gases in ionic liquids present the possibility of using them for gas separations. More recently we and others have shown that the presence of CO2 increases the solubility of other gases that are poorly soluble in the ionic liquid phase. Therefore, a knowledge and understanding of the phase behavior of these ionic liquid/CO2 systems is important. With the aim of finding ionic liquids that improve CO2 solubility and gaining more information to help us understand how to design CO2-philic ionic liquids, we present the low- and high-pressure measurements of CO2 solubility in a range of ionic liquids possessing structures likely to increase the solubility of CO2. We examined the CO2 solubility in a number of ionic liquids with systematic increases in fluorination. We also studied nonfluorinated ionic liquids that have structural features known to improve CO2 solubility in other compounds such as polymers, for example, carbonyl groups and long alkyl chains with branching or ether linkages. Results show that ionic liquids containing increased fluoroalkyl chains on either the cation or anion do improve CO2 solubility when compared to less fluorinated ionic liquids previously studied. It was also found that it was possible to obtain similar, high levels of CO2 solubility in nonfluorous ionic liquids. In agreement with our previous results, we found that the anion frequently plays a key role in determining CO2 solubility in ionic liquids.     

离子液体支撑液膜分离CO2

支撑液膜是一种在湿法冶金、生物技术以及气体分离等多个领域都有应用的重要膜分离技术。本文回顾了支撑液膜技术分离CO2的研究进展,按照液膜相的不同,分类介绍了常规载体支撑液膜和离子液体支撑液膜,指出了常规载体支撑液膜分离CO2的局限性,重点介绍了离子液体支撑液膜分离CO2的发展,分析了气体在离子液体支撑液膜中的传质机理以及常规离子液体结构、含量和支撑膜材料等对分离效果的影响;讨论了离子液体的功能化方法以及功能化离子液体支撑液膜分离CO2的渗透率、选择性和液膜稳定性;介绍了两种新的离子液体支撑液膜改进方法:聚离子液体膜与凝胶化离子液体支撑液膜。最后指出了今后用于CO2分离的离子液体支撑液膜的发展方向。     

Amine-functionalized task-specific ionic liquids: a mechanistic explanation for the dramatic increase in viscosity upon complexation with CO2 from molecular simulation

The capture of CO2 from fossil fuel combustion, particularly in coal-fired power plants, represents a critical component of efforts aimed at stabilizing greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere. Alkanolamines have traditionally been used to this end; however, drawbacks such as volatility, degradation, and regeneration costs have been drivers for the development of new, superior technologies. Recently, several seminal studies with ionic liquids (ILs), both experimental and computational, have demonstrated their potential as CO2 capture agents. In traditional ILs, experimental studies with CO2 have revealed its unusually high physical solubility in these media. Complementary simulation studies have provided evidence that this is attributable to CO2 occupying void space within the liquid and favorably interacting with the anion. Recently, a series of second-generation task-specific ionic liquids (TSILs) containing amine functional groups have been synthesized and demonstrated to have much higher capacities for CO2 due to their reactivity with CO2, as well unusually high viscosities in both the neat and complexed states. The current work extends the seminal studies of CO2 capture with ILs by providing insight from simulations into the mechanism responsible for the dramatic increase in viscosity upon complexation. Simulations conclusively demonstrate that the slow translational and rotational dynamics, which are manifest in the high viscosity, may be attributable to the formation of a strong, pervasive hydrogen-bonded network. Semiquantitative estimates of the cation and anion self-diffusion coefficients and rotational time constants, as well as detailed hydrogen bond analysis, are consistent with the experimentally observed formation of glassy or gel-like materials upon contact with CO2. This has significant implications for the design of new approaches or materials involving ILs that take advantage of these preconceived limitations, in the synthesis or manipulation of new TSIL frameworks for CO2 capture, and in novel experimental studies of chemistries and dynamics in persistent heterogeneous environments.     

Why is the partial molar volume of CO2 so small when dissolved in a room temperature ionic liquid? Structure and dynamics of CO2 dissolved in [Bmim+] [PF6(-)

When supercritical CO2 is dissolved in an ionic liquid, its partial molar volume is much smaller than that observed in most other solvents. In this article we explore in atomistic detail and explain in an intuitive way the peculiar volumetric behavior experimentally observed when supercritical CO2 is dissolved in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([Bmim+] [PF6(-)]). We also provide physical insight into the structure and dynamics occurring across the boundary of the CO2 ionic liquid interface. We find that the liquid structure of [Bmim+] [PF6(-)] in the presence of CO2 is nearly identical to that in the neat ionic liquid (IL) even at fairly large mole fractions of CO2. Our simulations indicate, in agreement with experiments, that partial miscibilities of one fluid into the other are very unsymmetrical, CO2 being highly soluble in the ionic liquid phase while the ionic liquid is highly insoluble in the CO2 phase. We interpret our results in terms of the size and shape of spontaneously forming cavities in the ionic liquid phase, and we propose that CO2 occupies extremely well-defined locations in the IL. Even though our accurate prediction of cavity sizes in the neat IL indicates that these cavities are small compared with the van der Waals radius of a single carbon or oxygen atom, CO2 appears to occupy a space that was for the most part a priori "empty".     

Ionic liquid mediated CO2 activation for DMC synthesis

Promoted catalytic reaction between methanol and CO2 for dimethyl carbonate(DMC) synthesis is conducted over K2CO3/CH3 I catalyst in the presence of ionic liquid under microwave irradiation.The effect of ionic liquids incorporated with microwave irradiation on the yield of DMC is investigated.DMC was found to form at lower temperature in a relative short time,which indicated an enhanced catalytic process by ionic liquid.Among the ionic liquids used,1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride is the most effective promoter.Density functional theory calculations indicate that CO2 bond lengths and angles changed due to the molecular interaction of ionic liquid and CO2,resulting in the activation of CO2 molecules and consequently the acceleration of reaction rate.     

Atomistic simulation of the absorption of carbon dioxide and water in the ionic liquid 1-n-Hexyl-3-methylimidazolium Bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([hmim][Tf2N

The solubility of water and carbon dioxide in the ionic liquid 1-n-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([hmim][Tf2N]) is computed using atomistic Monte Carlo simulations. A newly developed biasing algorithm is used to enable complete isotherms to be computed. In addition, a recently developed pairwise damped electrostatic potential calculation procedure is used to speed the calculations. The computed isotherms, Henry's Law constants, and partial molar enthalpies of absorption are all in quantitative agreement with available experimental data. The simulations predict that the excess molar volume of CO2/ionic liquid mixtures is large and negative. Analysis of ionic liquid conformations shows that the CO2 does not perturb the underlying liquid structure until very high CO2 concentrations are reached. At the highest CO2 concentrations, the alkyl chain on the cation stretches out slightly, and the distance between cation and anion centers of mass increases by about 1 angstroms. Water/ionic liquid mixtures have excess molar volumes that are also negative but much smaller in magnitude than those for the case of CO2.     

Characterization of the ability of CO2 to act as an antisolvent for ionic liquid/organic mixtures

This paper discusses the ability of CO2 to induce liquid/liquid-phase separation in mixtures of ionic liquids and organics. New data for the solubility of CO2 in the ionic liquid/organic mixtures and the volume expansion of the mixtures with added CO2 are used to analyze the results. Acetonitrile, 2-butanone, and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol are chosen to distinguish dipolar and hydrogen-bonding interactions. Likewise, 1-n-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, 1-n-hexyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, 1-n-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium triflate, and ethyl-dimethyl-propylammonium bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide were studied to vary hydrogen-bond-donating and -accepting abilities of the ionic liquids. Primarily, the ability of CO2 to act as an antisolvent depends on the solubility of the CO2 in the ionic liquid/organic mixture. Strong hydrogen bonding between the ionic liquid and the organic makes it more difficult for CO2 to induce a liquid/liquid-phase separation.     

Supported absorption of CO2 by tetrabutylphosphonium amino acid ionic liquids

A new type of "task specific ionic liquid", tetrabutylphosphonium amino acid [P(C4)4][AA], was synthesized by the reaction of tetrabutylphosphonium hydroxide [P(C4)4][OH] with amino acids, including glycine, L-alanine, L-beta-alanine, L-serine, and L-lysine. The liquids produced were characterized by NMR, IR spectroscopies, and elemental analysis, and their thermal decomposition temperature, glass transition temperature, electrical conductivity, density, and viscosity were recorded in detail. The [P(C4)4][AA] supported on porous silica gel effected fast and reversible CO2 absorption when compared with bubbling CO2 into the bulk of the ionic liquid. No changes in absorption capacity and kinetics were found after four cycles of absorption/desorption. The CO2 absorption capacity at equilibrium was 50 mol % of the ionic liquids. In the presence of water (1 wt %), the ionic liquids could absorb equimolar amounts of CO2. The CO2 absorption mechanisms of the ionic liquids with and without water were different.     

Direct analysis of catalysts immobilised in ionic liquids using electrospray ionisation ion trap mass spectrometry

Catalysts immobilised in ionic liquids have been analysed using electrospray ionisation ion trap mass spectrometry, which allows identification of the catalyst without contamination from the ionic liquid; additionally, a new ionic liquid containing the Monsanto catalyst as the anionic component, [Rh(CO)2I2]-, has been characterised using the same method.     

Carbon dioxide capture by aminoalkyl imidazolium-based ionic liquid: a computational investigation

Efficient technologies/processes for CO(2) capture are greatly desired, and ionic liquids are recognized as promising materials for this purpose. However, the mechanisms for selectively capturing CO(2) by ionic liquids are unclear. In this study, the interactions between CO(2) and 1-n-amino-alkyl-3-methyl-imidazolium tetrafluoroborate, an amino imidazolium ionic liquid (AIIL), in its CO(2) capturing process, are elucidated with both quantum chemistry and molecular dynamics approaches on the molecular level. The effects of the straight aminoalkyl chain length in imidazolium-based cations on CO(2) capture are explored, and thereby the factors governing CO(2) capture for this ionic liquid family, e.g., ionic liquid structure, charge distribution, intermolecular interactions, thermodynamic properties and absorption kinetics, are analyzed. Molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the diffusion of the involved compounds and liquid structures of the CO(2)-AIIL systems. The results show that the amino-alkyl chain length plays an important role in governing the absorption properties of AIILs, including the free energies of absorption, equilibrium constants, desorption temperature, absorption rate constants, diffusion coefficients, and organization of CO(2) around cations and anions. This study provides useful information about rational design of ionic liquids for efficient CO(2) capture.     

Modeling of the carbon dioxide solubility in imidazolium-based ionic liquids with the tPC-PSAFT equation of state

In this work, an equation of state (EoS) is developed to predict accurately the phase behavior of ionic liquid + CO2 systems based on the truncated perturbed chain polar statistical associating fluid theory (tPC-PSAFT) EoS. This EoS accounts explicitly for the dipolar interactions between ionic liquid molecules, the quadrupolar interactions between CO2 molecules, and the Lewis acid-base type of association between the ionic liquid and the CO2 molecules. Physically meaningful model pure-component parameters for ionic liquids are estimated based on literature data. All experimental vapor-liquid equilibrium data are correlated with a single linearly temperature-dependent binary interaction parameter. The ability of the model to describe accurately carbon dioxide solubility in various 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ionic liquids with different alkyl chain lengths and different anions at pressures from 0 to 100 MPa and carbon dioxide fractions from 0 to 75 mol % is demonstrated. In all cases, good agreement with experimental data is obtained.     

Biocatalysis in ionic liquids: batchwise and continuous flow processes using supercritical carbon dioxide as the mobile phase

A new and environmentally benign protocol for enzymatic reactions in ionic liquids is described using supercritical CO2 as the mobile phase; the products are obtained in solvent-free form and the enzyme/ionic liquid mixture can be recycled in batchwise or continuous flow operations.     

First-principles-guided design of ionic liquids for CO(2) capture

The identification of sorbents that combine selectively and reversibly with CO(2) is essential for efficient and economical abatement of ever-increasing CO(2) emissions. Room temperature ionic liquids (ILs) are a promising class of potential absorbents, especially when modified to chemically combine with CO(2). In this perspective we describe the evolution of IL-based CO(2) capture chemistries over the last ten years and in particular the important role that first principles simulations have played in helping guide those developments. Current anion-functionalized ILs achieve high CO(2) capture efficiencies tailorable to a wide range of separation conditions and avoid the viscosity problems that plagued the earliest amine-functionalized, CO(2)-reactive ILs. Further progress is needed to develop ILs able to meet all the requirements of a CO(2) separation system, and simulations will play a central role in those developments.     

Tuning the physicochemical properties of diverse phenolic ionic liquids for equimolar CO2 capture by the substituent on the anion

Phenolic ionic liquids for the efficient and reversible capture of CO(2) were designed and prepared from phosphonium hydroxide and substituted phenols. The electron-withdrawing or electron-donating ability, position, and number of the substituents on the anion of these ionic liquids were correlated with the physicochemical properties of the ionic liquids. The results show that the stability, viscosity, and CO(2)-capturing ability of these ionic liquids were significantly affected by the substituents. Furthermore, the relationship between the decomposition temperature, the CO(2)-absorption capacity, and the basicity of these ionic liquids was quantitatively correlated and further rationalized by theoretical calculation. Indeed, these ionic liquids showed good stability, high absorption capacity, and low absorption enthalpy for CO(2) capture. This method, which tunes the physicochemical properties by making use of substituent effects in the anion of the ionic liquid, is important for the design of highly efficient and reversible methods for CO(2)-capture. This CO(2) capture process using diverse phenolic ionic liquids is a promising potential method for CO(2) absorption with both high absorption capacity and good reversibility.     

非均相离子液体催化CO2环加成反应研究进展

二氧化碳（CO2）是一种来源丰富的C1资源,在温和条件下实现CO2的资源化利用是当前研究的热点之一。CO2环加成反应制备环状碳酸酯是CO2资源化利用的重要途径之一。环状碳酸酯是电池电解液的优良介质,可承受较恶劣的光、热及化学变化;同时也是聚氨酯、聚碳酸酯等精细化工中间体,广泛应用于医药、化工、纺织、印染等领域。非均相离子液体催化剂具有化学和热稳定性好、合成过程简单和可重复使用等优势。本文重点总结了近年来非均相离子液体催化剂在CO2和环氧化物环加成反应中的应用,并对非均相离子液体催化CO2环加成反应的发展进行展望。     

Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Formate at Low Overpotential Using a Superbase Ionic Liquid

A new low‐energy pathway is reported for the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to formate and syngas at low overpotentials, utilizing a reactive ionic liquid as the solvent. The superbasic tetraalkyl phosphonium ionic liquid [P₆₆₆₁₄][124Triz] is able to chemisorb CO₂ through equimolar binding of CO₂ with the 1,2,4‐triazole anion. This chemisorbed CO₂ can be reduced at silver electrodes at overpotentials as low as 0.17 V, forming formate. In contrast, physically absorbed CO₂ within the same ionic liquid or in ionic liquids where chemisorption is impossible (such as [P₆₆₆₁₄][NTf₂]) undergoes reduction at significantly increased overpotentials, producing only CO as the product.     

Fragmentations of protonated arginine, lysine and their methylated derivatives: concomitant losses of carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide and an amine

The fragmentation pathways of protonated arginine, protonated N(alpha),N(alpha)-dimethylarginine, the N(alpha),N(alpha),N(alpha)-trimethylarginine ion, three protonated N(epsilon),N(epsilon)-dimethyllysines, and three permanent lysine ions in which the charge is fixed by trimethylation are reported. Ion assignment was facilitated by (15)N-labeling and deuterium substitution. The chemistries are dominated by charge-induced elimination of the amino groups as neutrals, including dimethylamine, trimethylamine and guanidine. Competitive losses of the alpha-amino and side-chain amino groups were observed; these losses led to intermediates that had different structures and different subsequent dissociation reactions. Concomitant losses of CO or CO(2) with these amines were also commonly observed. However, the ionic products of amine losses did not subsequently lose CO or CO(2), suggesting strongly that in these concomitant eliminations, it is the CO or CO(2) that was first eliminated, followed immediately by the loss of the amine. Results of density functional theory calculations on protonated arginine and protonated N(alpha),N(alpha)-dimethylarginine reveal that, in such concomitant eliminations, the dissociating complex is vibrationally hot and the intermediate ion formed by losing CO or CO(2) can immediately dissociate to eliminate the amine.     

Thermodynamic modeling of the phase behavior of binary systems of ionic liquids and carbon dioxide with the group contribution equation of state

The group contribution equation of state (GC-EOS) was applied to predict the phase behavior of binary systems of ionic liquids of the homologous families 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate and tetrafluoroborate with CO2. Pure group parameters for the new ionic liquid functional groups [-mim][PF6] and [-mim][BF4] and interaction parameters between these groups and the paraffin (CH3, CH2) and CO2 groups were estimated. The GC-EOS extended with the new parameters was applied to predict high-pressure phase equilibria in binary mixtures of the ionic liquids [emim][PF6], [bmim][PF6], [hmim][PF6], [bmim][BF4], [hmim][BF4], and [omim][BF4] with CO2. The agreement between experimental and predicted bubble point data for the ionic liquids was excellent for pressures up to 20 MPa, and even for pressures up to about 100 MPa, the agreement was good. The results show the capability of the GC-EOS to describe phase equilibria of systems consisting of ionic liquids.