Ionic liquid confined in silica nanopores: molecular dynamics in the isobaric–isothermal ensemble

Molecular dynamics simulations in the isobaric–isothermal ensemble are used to investigate the structure and dynamics of an ionic liquid confined at ambient temperature and pressure in hydroxylated amorphous silica nanopores. The use of the isobaric–isothermal ensemble allows estimating the effect of confinement and surface chemistry on the density of the confined ionic liquid. The structure of the confined ionic liquid is investigated using density profiles and structural order parameters while its dynamics is assessed by determining the mobility and ionic conductivity of the confined phase. Despite the important screening of the electrostatic interactions (owing to the small Debye length in ionic liquids), the local structure of the confined ionic liquid is found to be mostly driven by electrostatic interactions. We show that both the structure and dynamics of the confined ionic liquid can be described as the sum of a surface contribution arising from the ions in contact with the surface and a bulk-like contribution arising from the ions located in the pore centre; as a result, most properties of the confined ionic liquid are a simple function of the surface-to-volume ratio of the host porous material. In contrast, the ionic conductivity of the confined ionic liquid, which is a collective dynamical property, is found to be similar to the bulk. This study sheds light on the complex behaviour of hybrid materials made up of ionic liquid confined in inorganic porous materials.     

Properties of a composite material based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes and an ionic liquid

A solid-phase composite material based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes and an ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate) has been synthesized. It has been found using infrared spectroscopy that vibrational modes of the ionic liquid are shifted by 4–12 cm^?1 toward lower energies with respect to those observed in the initial fluid due to the interaction of ionic liquid molecules with the nanotubes. Electron microscopy has revealed that, in the composite, the ionic liquid is present on the surface of nanotubes and partially inside them. It has been shown that the degree of extraction of lanthanides from aqueous solutions with the use of the synthesized composite increases with increasing content of the ionic liquid in it.     

ZnS nanoparticle synthesis and stability of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([BMIM][BF4]) under glow discharge plasma

Ionic liquid glow discharge electrolysis for nanoparticle synthesis is an emerging nanomaterials processing technology and the stability of ionic liquid when they are in contact with plasma is an important issue. This paper discusses the stability of [BMIM][BF4] after exposing this ionic liquid to glow discharge plasma and the synthesis of cubic crystalline ZnS nanoparticles by plasma electrochemical method. Stability of the ionic liquid after plasma exposure to 20 min at 250 V is explained by their FTIR spectra and found that the ionic liquid is stable even after the plasma exposure.     

离子液体在甲烷等离子体转化中作用机理的光谱研究

在直流等离子体甲烷转化反应体系中分别引入C₆MIMBF₄,C₆MIMCF₃COO,C₆MIMHSO₄三种离子液体,采用光谱在线技术检测反应中活性物种的种类和光谱谱峰相对强度的变化,研究了离子液体在气液等离子体甲烷转化反应中的作用机理。结果表明：向甲烷等离子体体系中引入离子液体可得到稳定的气液界面,并提高了甲烷转化率和C₂烃产物收率,C₆MIMCF₃COO和C₆MIMBF₄有助于提高C₂烃选择性,而C₆MIMHSO₄则导致C₂烃选择性下降。在气液等离子体甲烷放电体系中检测到了C,C₂,C₃,CH,H等活性物种的发射光谱,与未引入离子液体时相比大多数活性物种的谱线强度均有增加。核磁共振研究表明反应后离子液体C₆MIMBF₄结构稳定,可认为离子液体作为液体导电介质提高了等离子体放电强度,促进等离子体区气相反应过程,同时离子液体在气液表面反应过程起催化作用。     

Predicting solvent effects in ionic liquids: Extension of a nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction on a benzene to a pyridine

A nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction involving a halopyridine electrophile was examined in a series of ionic liquid solvents. This reaction was chosen to test the known solvent effects of ionic liquids on this type of reaction mechanism, previously described with a halobenzene electrophile. The effect of varying the proportion of the ionic liquid in solution was determined, and it was shown that the more ionic liquid present in the reaction mixture, the greater the rate constant enhancement. Temperature‐dependent kinetic analyses yielded activation parameters that showed that the rate constant enhancements are controlled by a balance between enthalpic and entropic effects, depending upon the proportion of ionic liquid present. Overall, the rate enhancement is entropically driven, due to organisation of the ionic liquid about the electrophile. These results are consistent with what has been observed previously for the nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction involving a halobenzene electrophile, demonstrating that the solvent effects observed for ionic liquids are general for this type of reaction mechanism and opening the possibility for extending their use through rational selection for reaction control.     

Probing the interaction of ionic liquids with graphene using surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy

We report an in situ measurement of the interaction of an imidazolium‐based room temperature ionic liquid with both pure silver and a graphene‐over‐silver electrode under an applied electrochemical potential. At a negative applied potential, overall signal intensity increased indicating enhanced ionic liquid concentration at both silver and graphene electrodes. Vibrational modes associated with the imidazolium ring exhibited greater intensity enhancements and larger peak shifts compared with the anion indicating that the cation adsorbs with the ring and alkyl chain parallel to the electrode surface for both silver and graphene. In contrast to the silver, the surface enhanced Raman spectra of the ionic liquid near graphene showed shifts in the cation peaks even at no applied potential because of the strong π–π interaction between the ionic liquid and the graphene. Furthermore, the intensity of the graphene peak decreased in the presence of ionic liquid possibly due to the interaction between the ionic liquid and graphene. These results illustrate the effectiveness of surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy to investigate electrolyte interactions with graphene at the liquid/electrode interface. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of aryl azides: a probe reaction to study the synergetic action of ultrasounds and ionic liquids

The combined effect of ultrasounds and ionic liquids was used to perform the synthesis of aryl azides by nucleophilic aromatic substitution in ionic liquid/[1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium][N₃] binary mixtures. The ultrasounds efficiency was analyzed as a function of the substrate and of the ionic liquid structure. In the first case, both 6π and 10π electrons aryl halides were considered. As far as the ionic liquid structure is concerned, both aromatic and aliphatic ionic liquids were taken into account. Among aromatic cations, the effects due to different ability in giving hydrogen bond or π-π interactions were considered. The use of a geminal ionic liquid having an aromatic spacer was examined too.On the whole, collected data evidence an activating effect on the target reaction by the combined use of ultrasounds and ionic liquids. The structural order degree of the ionic liquid seems to be the main factor affecting the ultrasounds efficiency. Furthermore, the effects due to changes in the anion structure seem to be more significant than those due to changes in the cation structure.     

Microscopic characterization of tension wood cell walls of Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) treated with ionic liquids

Tension wood that is an abnormal part formed in angiosperms has been barely used for wood industry. In this study, to utilize the tension wood effectively by means of liquefaction using ionic liquid, we performed morphological and topochemical determination of the changes in tension wood of Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) during ionic liquid treatment at the cellular level using light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and confocal Raman microscopy. Ionic liquid treatment induced cell wall swelling in tension wood. Changes in the tissue morphology treated with ionic liquids were different between normal wood and tension wood, moreover the types of ionic liquids. The ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride liquefied gelatinous layers rapidly, whereas 1-ethylpyridinium bromide liquefied slowly but delignified selectively. These novel insights into the deconstruction behavior of tension wood cell walls during ionic liquid treatment provide better understanding of the liquefaction mechanism. The obtained knowledge will contribute to development of an effective chemical processing of tension wood using ionic liquids and lead to efficient use of wood resources.     

室温离子液体中超声制备纳米氧化锌掺杂材料及机理研究

在室温离子液体1-丁基-3-甲基咪唑四氟硼酸盐(ImBF_4)中超声制备镧系离子掺杂的纳米氧化锌材料,采用X射线衍射、透射电镜、光声光谱和荧光光谱技术表征样品结构和发光性能。为研究反应机理,采用甲基自由基复合法对离子液体的空化温度进行间接实测,进一步与空化动力学的数值分析结果进行比较。实验结果表明镧系离子掺杂可以有效地调控氧化锌的发光。与传统溶剂不同,离子液体空化温度不随超声时间的延长而降低,并随环境温度升高略有上升。反应机理的研究表明样品的形成生长与超声辐照和离子液体的共同作用密不可分。     

Novel room temperature ionic liquid for fluorescence enhancement of Eu and Tb

The newly prepared ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium benzoate, ([bmim][BA]), was found to enhance the fluorescence of Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺. The fluorescence enhancement resulted from a sensitization of the lanthanide fluorescence by the benzoate anion of the ionic liquid, [bmim][BA], and a reduction in the non-radiative channels in the non-aqueous environment provided by the ionic liquid. However, the fluorescence enhancement of the lanthanides in the ionic liquid was limited due to the operation of the inner filter effect, which resulted from the strong absorption of the benzoate. The inner filter effect was minimized by observing the Eu³⁺ fluorescence using a front face geometry and also by diluting the lanthanide-[bmim][BA] system, using another ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([bmim][Tf₂N]), as a solvent. In the case of Tb³⁺, the emission from the lanthanide was masked by the strong emission from the ionic liquid in the region 450-580 nm. The long lived Tb³⁺ emission was therefore observed using delayed gated detection, where an appropriate delay was used to discriminate against the short lived emission from the ionic liquid. The large fluorescence enhancement due to ligand sensitized fluorescence observed with [bmim][BA] diluted in [bmim][Tf₂N], leads to nanomolar detection of the lanthanides. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first report of an ionic liquid being employed for ligand sensitized fluorescence enhancement of lanthanides.     

Correlation Between Segmental Dynamics,Glass Transition,and Lithium Ion Conduction in Poly(Methyl Methacrylate)/Ionic Liquid Mixture

A solid-state membrane of a polymer/ionic liquid miscible mixture, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BMIMPF₆) doped with lithium perchlorate (LiClO₄), was prepared and characterized. Miscibility, segmental dynamics, glass transition and ionic conductivity were investigated. Based on the results from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), the system is fully miscible and of single phase. Broadening of the glass transition was observed when increasing the amount of ionic liquid, which can be attributed to mobility and flexibility differences between the polymer and ionic liquid. A large dynamical asymmetry and intrinsic mobility difference allow segmental and structural motion/relaxation over a wider temperature range by increasing the amount of ionic liquid. Saturation recovery spin–lattice relaxation time (T₁) versus temperature obtained from ⁷Li nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) showed high mobility of lithium ions, which was almost temperature independent. Lithium ion conductivity significantly increases with increasing ionic liquid amount. It is concluded that lithium ion mobility and its conduction is positively correlated to segmental dynamics of ion carriers in this model system, which is more noticeable in mixtures with higher amounts of the ionic liquid.     

醋酸N-正辛基吡啶离子液体在不同溶剂中的荧光光谱分析

离子液体具有熔点低、可忽略的蒸气压、电化学窗口宽、热稳定性高和良好的导电性等独特性能,引起了化学工业和相关领域的广泛关注。离子液体具有低蒸气压,不会造成空气污染,但这并不意味着它们对环境完全无害。大多数离子液体易溶于水,可能会因为意外泄漏或通过污水进入水生环境。常用离子液体[BMIM][PF₆]和[BMIM][BF₄]的水溶液中,很容易形成氢氟酸,磷酸,具有一定的腐蚀性。将离子液体列为绿色溶剂,也需要提供其关于代谢和降解的毒性、生态毒性研究数据,或者其对环境影响的数据,离子液体在不同溶剂中的检测方法是非常重要的。离子液体的光谱分析法用量较少、方法简单、结果准确。离子液体和许多有机溶剂互溶,可形成均一、稳定的溶液。荧光检测法具有灵敏度高,选择性好,线性范围宽和受外界干扰少等优点。本工作研究了醋酸N-正辛基吡啶（OP-OAc）离子液体在水、乙醇、乙腈、乙酸等4种溶剂中的荧光光谱。研究结果表明,OP-OAc离子液体在不同溶剂中的荧光强度：I_乙酸＞I_乙腈＞I_乙醇＞I_水;最大发射波长的大小顺序：λ_{em, 水}＞λ_{em, 乙醇}＞λ_{em, 乙腈}＞λ_{em, 乙酸};它们的最大发射波长相对于激发波长发生红移;水中OP-OAc的荧光强度与浓度存在较高的相关性;当加入的甲醇、乙醇、乙腈溶剂不断增加时,OP-OAc离子液体的荧光强度增加,溶剂与水的比例为8∶2时,OP-OAc离子液体的荧光强度最强,溶剂的比例超过80%时,荧光强度突然降低;水中OP-OAc离子液体在pH 10时,荧光强度最高,在pH 14时,荧光强度最低。     

Silica-supported sulfonic acid-functionalized ionic liquid coated with [bmim][PF<Subscript>6</Subscript>] as a scavenger for the synthesis of amides

The methodology of using a silica gel-supported functionalized ionic liquid as a scavenger in the purification of parallel synthesis products was demonstrated. Silica-supported sulfonic acid-functional ionic liquid was synthesized by etherification, aminate, and quaternary aminate from activated silica gel and 3-chloropropyl trimethoxysilane, imidazole, and 1,4-butanesultone, which was followed by acidification using trifluoromethanesulfonic acid and anion exchange with potassium hexafluorophosphate. A conventional ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate was then used to coat the surface of the silica gel. The silica-supported functionalized ionic liquid was used as a scavenger in the removal of excess amine in the parallel synthesis of amides. Desired products were obtained in excellent yields and purity with a sequestration time of less than 100 min at room temperature. After scavenging, the scavenger was easily filtered out and regenerated.     

Probing the adsorption of methylimidazole at ionic liquids/Cu electrode interface by surface‐enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy

Two kinds of room‐temperature ionic liquids, 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium bromide ([BMIM]Br) and 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroboride ([BMIM]BF₄), were used as solvent, and the adsorption of the ionic liquids themselves and of N‐methylimidazole (NMIM) were investigated by electrochemical surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) over a wide potential window. The results revealed that the cation of ionic liquid adsorbed onto Cu surface with different configurations in different potential ranges. When the potential was changed from the negative to the positive range, the orientation underwent a change from flat to vertical, and the onset potential for the orientation change was dependent on the types of anion of the ionic liquid. The ionic liquid in bulk solution exhibited a remarkable effect on the adsorption of NMIM. The electrode surface structure changed from adsorbing the ionic liquid at the negative potential to coadsorbing the ionic liquid and NMIM at relative positive potential for the [BMIM]BF₄ liquids, and formed films of NMIM at extremely positive potential. Due to the strong specific adsorption of Br⁻, the coadsorption of ionic liquid and NMIM was not observed in the system [BMIM]Br. By simulating the electrode surroundings, two surface complexes [Cu(NMIM)₄Br]Br·H₂O and [Cu(NMIM)₄](BF₄)₂ were synthesized by the electrochemical method in the corresponding ionic liquids for modeling the surface coordination chemistry of NMIM. The surface coordination configuration of NMIM and ionic liquids is proposed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

TCs-Fe(Ⅲ)体系离子液体气浮浮选荧光光谱法分离/富集四环素类抗生素残留的研究

将离子液体应用于气浮溶剂浮选,建立了一种分离/富集四环素类(tetracyclines, TCs)抗生素的新方法——离子液体气浮溶剂浮选。最优化浮选条件为：以1-己基-3-甲基咪唑六氟磷酸盐([Hmim]PF₆)和乙酸乙酯(EA)的混合溶剂(φ=1/0.9)为浮选剂,以Fe(Ⅲ)为捕集剂,pH值为7.6,气体流速为40 mL·min-1,浮选时间为50 min。富集TCs-Fe(Ⅲ)配合物的[Hmim]PF₆-EA相用荧光光谱法直接测定,其线性回归方程为F=246.5c+4.32(c: μg·10 mL-1),相关系数r=0.999 1。实测了鱼塘表面水体和沉积物中四环素类抗生素的含量,加标回收率达到94.2%～100.4%,RSD＜3.2%(n=5)。红外光谱分析显示TCs-Fe(Ⅲ)配合物没有和离子液体发生反应,离子液体在气浮溶剂浮选中只起到溶剂作用。该方法适合于环境水样中痕量四环素类抗生素的分离/富集及分析。     

Synergistic effect of probe sonication and ionic liquid for extraction of phenolic acids from oak galls

Phenolic acids of oak gall were extracted using ultrasonic-probe assisted extraction (UPAE) method in the presence of ionic liquid. It was compared with classical ultrasonic-bath assisted extraction (CUBAE) and conventional aqueous extraction (CAE) method, with and without the presence of ionic liquid. Remarkably, the UPAE method yielded two-fold higher extraction yield with the presence of ionic liquid, resulting 481.04 mg/g for gallic acids (GA) and 2287.90 mg/g for tannic acids (TA), while a decreased value of 130.36 mg/g for GA and 1556.26 mg/g for TA were resulted with the absence of ionic liquid. Intensification process resulted the highest yield of 497.34 mg/g and 2430.48 mg/g for GA and TA, respectively, extracted at temperature 50 °C with sonication intensity of 8.66 W/cm² and 10% duty cycle, diluted in ionic liquid, 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, [Bmim][Tf₂N] at concentration of 0.10 M with sample-to-solvent ratio 1:10 for 8 h. Peleg’s model successfully predicted the UPAE process confirming that extraction capacity is the controlling factor in extracting phenolic acids. Hence, it can be concluded that UPAE method and ionic liquid have synergistic effect as it effectively enhanced the extraction efficiency to increase the bioactive constituents yield.     

Acoustic cavitation in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(triflluoromethyl-sulfonyl)imide based ionic liquid

In this work, a comparison between the temperatures/pressures within acoustic cavitation bubble in an imidazolium-based room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(triflluoromethyl-sulfonyl)imide ([BMIM][NTf₂]), and in water has been made for a wide range of cavitation parameters including frequency (140–1000 kHz), acoustic intensity (0.5–1 W cm⁻²), liquid temperature (20–50 °C) and external static pressure (0.7–1.5 atm). The used cavitation model takes into account the liquid compressibility as well as the surface tension and the viscosity of the medium. It was found that the bubble temperatures and pressures were always much higher in the ionic liquid compared to those predicted in water. The valuable effect of [BMIM][NTf₂] on the bubble temperature was more pronounced at higher acoustic intensity and liquid temperature and lower frequency and external static pressure. However, confrontation between the predicted and the experimental estimated temperatures in ionic liquids showed an opposite trend as the temperatures measured in some pure ionic liquids are of the same order as those observed in water. The injection of liquid droplets into cavitation bubbles, the pyrolysis of ionic liquids at the bubble-solution interface as well as the lower number of collapsing bubbles in the ionic liquid may be the responsible for the lower measured bubble temperatures in ionic liquids, as compared with water.     

新型离子液体预富集-石墨炉原子吸收法测定透析液中超痕量铅

设计合成了新型室温离子液体—1-丁基-3-三甲基硅烷咪唑六氟磷酸,并用于透析液中超痕量铅的预富集。从双硫腙作为螯合剂使透析液(1 000 mL或更大体积)中存在的铅(Ⅱ)形成中性的铅-双硫腙配合物,摒弃传统的有机萃取剂—四氯化碳,代以1-丁基-3-三甲基硅烷咪唑六氟磷酸为绿色萃取剂来萃取铅配合物。收集含有配合物的下层离子液体相,加入硝酸分解铅配合物从而使铅(Ⅱ)进入水相,其水溶液中的铅含量直接用石墨炉原子吸收法测定。实验表明此富集体系明显优于传统有机溶剂四氯化碳和经典离子液体1-丁基-3-甲基咪唑六氟磷酸萃取体,铅的一次萃取率和富集倍数分别在99%和200以上。预富集结合石墨炉原子吸收法应用于透析液中超痕量铅的测定,结果令人满意。     

Impurity effects on ionic-liquid-based supercapacitors

Small amounts of an impurity may affect the key properties of an ionic liquid and such effects can be dramatically amplified when the electrolyte is under confinement. Here the classical density functional theory is employed to investigate the impurity effects on the microscopic structure and the performance of ionic-liquid-based electrical double-layer capacitors, also known as supercapacitors. Using a primitive model for ionic species, we study the effects of an impurity on the double layer structure and the integral capacitance of a room temperature ionic liquid in model electrode pores and find that an impurity strongly binding to the surface of a porous electrode can significantly alter the electric double layer structure and dampen the oscillatory dependence of the capacitance with the pore size of the electrode. Meanwhile, a strong affinity of the impurity with the ionic species affects the dependence of the integral capacitance on the pore size. Up to 30% increase in the integral capacitance can be achieved even at a very low impurity bulk concentration. By comparing with an ionic liquid mixture containing modified ionic species, we find that the cooperative effect of the bounded impurities is mainly responsible for the significant enhancement of the supercapacitor performance.     

Efficient and green synthesis of tetrasubstituted pyrroles promoted by task-specific basic ionic liquids as catalyst in aqueous media

Synthesis of tetrasubstituted pyrroles by the three-component condensation reaction of acid chlorides, dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates, and amino acids in the presence of various room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) as catalysts in water is reported. Among the ionic liquids used, the basic functionalized ionic liquid, butyl methyl imidazolium hydroxide [bmim]OH, was the most effective catalyst. The influence of reaction temperature, reaction time, and amount of ionic liquid on the reaction was investigated. The [bmim]OH/H₂O catalyst system could be reused for at least five recycles without appreciable loss of efficiency.