Protic ionic liquids: physicochemical properties and behavior as amphiphile self-assembly solvents

The physicochemical properties of 22 protic ionic liquids (PILs) and 6 protic molten salts, and the self-assembly behavior of 3 amphiphiles in the PILs, are reported. Structure-property relationships have been explored for the PILs, including the effect of increasing the substitution of ammonium cations and the presence of methoxy and hydroxyl moieties in the cation. Anion choices included the formate, pivalate, trifluoroacetate, nitrate, and hydrogen sulfate anions. This series of PILs had a diverse range of physicochemical properties, with ionic conductivities up to 51.10 mS/cm, viscosities down to 5.4 mPa.s, surface tensions between 38.3 and 82.1 mN/m, and densities between 0.990 and 1.558 g/cm3. PILs were designed with various levels of solvent cohesiveness, as quantified by the Gordon parameter. Fourteen PILs were found to promote the self-assembly of amphiphiles. High-throughput polarized optical microscopy was used to identify lamellar, hexagonal, and bicontinuous cubic amphiphile self-assembly phases. The presence and extent of amphiphile self-assembly have been discussed in terms of the Gordon parameter.     

Many protic ionic liquids mediate hydrocarbon-solvent interactions and promote amphiphile self-assembly

A large number of protic ionic liquids (PILs) have been found to mediate solvent-hydrocarbon interactions and promote amphiphile self-assembly. Hexagonal, cubic, and lamellar lyotropic liquid crystalline phases were observed in PIL-hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide systems. The driving force for the formation of the self-assembled aggregate structures has been attributed to an entropic contribution to the free energy of association, analogous to the hydrophobic effect in water. The specific aggregate structures formed depend upon the cationic and anionic components of the PIL and their interactions with the amphiphiles.     

Molecular solvent effect on the acidity constant of protic ionic liquids

In this work how the microscopic properties of a molecular solvent affect the chemical environment of the protic ionic liquids (PILs) was analyzed. Using Reichardt’s dye as indicator of acidity, new acidity constant values for eight PILs (pK_a^PILs) were determined by spectrophotometric titration. Modifying the character hydrogen bonding donor of the molecular solvent it is possible to handle the PIL acid strength. Thus, we can turn basic PILs into acidic ones thereby the molecular solvent could be used as ‘additive’ for PILs, which allowed us to tune PILs design.     

Structure Effects on the Ionicity of Protic Ionic Liquids

We report on the characterisation of 16 protic ionic liquids (PILs) prepared by neutralisation of primary or tertiary amines with a range of simple carboxylic acids, or salicylic acid. The extent of proton transfer was greater for simple primary amine ILs compared to tertiary amines. For the latter case, proton transfer was increased by providing a better solvation environment for the ions through the addition of a hydroxyl group, either on the tertiary amine, or by formation of PIL/molecular solvent mixtures. The library of PILs was characterised by differential scanning calorimetry and a range of transport properties (i. e. viscosity, conductivity and diffusivity) were measured. Using the (fractional) Walden rule, the conductivity and viscosity results were analysed with respect to their deviation from ideal behaviour. The validity of the Walden plot for PILs containing ions of varying sizes was also verified for a number of samples by directly measuring self-diffusion coefficients using pulsed-field gradient spin-echo (PGSE) NMR. Ionicity was found to decrease as the alkyl chain length and degree of branching of both the cations and anions was increased. These results aim to develop a better understanding of the relationship between PIL properties and structure, to help design ILs with optimal properties for applications.     

Lyotropic liquid crystalline phase behaviour in amphiphile-protic ionic liquid systems

Approximate partial phase diagrams for nine amphiphile-protic ionic liquid (PIL) systems have been determined by synchrotron source small angle X-ray scattering, differential scanning calorimetry and cross polarised optical microscopy. The binary phase diagrams of some common cationic (hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium chloride, CTAC, and hexadecylpyridinium bromide, HDPB) and nonionic (polyoxyethylene (10) oleyl ether, Brij 97, and Pluronic block copolymer, P123) amphiphiles with the PILs, ethylammonium nitrate (EAN), ethanolammonium nitrate (EOAN) and diethanolammonium formate (DEOAF), have been studied. The phase diagrams were constructed for concentrations from 10 wt% to 80 wt% amphiphile, in the temperature range 25 °C to >100 °C. Lyotropic liquid crystalline phases (hexagonal, cubic and lamellar) were formed at high surfactant concentrations (typically >50 wt%), whereas at <40 wt%, only micelles or polydisperse crystals were present. With the exception of Brij 97, the thermal stability of the phases formed by these surfactants persisted to temperatures above 100 °C. The phase behaviour of amphiphile-PIL systems was interpreted by considering the PIL cohesive energy, liquid nanoscale order, polarity and ionicity. For comparison the phase behaviour of the four amphiphiles was also studied in water.     

Ion Pairing in Protic Ionic Liquids Probed by Far‐Infrared Spectroscopy: Effects of Solvent Polarity and Temperature

The cation–anion and cation–solvent interactions in solutions of the protic ionic liquid (PIL) [Et₃NH][I] dissolved in solvents of different polarities are studied by means of far infrared vibrational (FIR) spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The dissociation of contact ion pairs (CIPs) and the resulting formation of solvent‐separated ion pairs (SIPs) can be observed and analyzed as a function of solvent concentration, solvent polarity, and temperature. In apolar environments, the CIPs dominate for all solvent concentrations and temperatures. At high concentrations of polar solvents, SIPs are favored over CIPs. For these PIL/solvent mixtures, CIPs are reformed by increasing the temperature due to the reduced polarity of the solvent. Overall, this approach provides equilibrium constants, free energies, enthalpies, and entropies for ion‐pair formation in trialkylammonium‐containing PILs. These results have important implications for the understanding of solvation chemistry and the reactivity of ionic liquids.     

Poly(ionic liquid)s as phase-transporter for graphene oxide liquid crystals from aqueous to non-polar organic phase via noncovalent functionalization

We synthesise a novel poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) and develop a procedure that allows the phase transfer of graphene oxides (GO) from water to organic solvent, retaining graphene oxide liquid crystal (GOLC) phase in various organic solvents, especially non-polar organic solvents. PIL ([PEP-MIM]DBS) is exploited in this procedure as a noncovalent functional material that is capable of transporting GO from aqueous to non-polar organic phase. PILs can decorate GO noncovalently and keep GO nano-sheets exfoliated in solid-state PILs/GO hybrids, which can well redisperse in organic solvents without any agglomeration. This expands the number of known solvents which can support GOLC phase to dimethyl formamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, and a number of other non-polar organic solvents, many of which were not known to afford GOLC phase prior to this report, such as dichloromethane, tetrachloromethane, dichloroethane and tetrachloroethane.     

Alkylimidazolium Protic Ionic Liquids: Structural Features and Physicochemical Properties

We focus on a series of protic ionic liquids (PILs) with imidazolium and alkylimidazolium (1R3HIm, R=methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl) cations. Using the literature data and our experimental results on the thermal and transport properties, we analyze the effects of the anion nature and the alkyl radical length in the cation structure on the above properties. DFT calculations in gas and solvent phase provide further microscopic insights into the structure and cation-anion binding in these PILs. We show that the higher thermodynamic stability of an ion pair raises the PIL decomposition temperature. The melting points of the salts with the same cation decrease as the hydrocarbon radical in the cation becomes longer, which correlates with the weaker ion-ion interaction inthe ion pairs. A comparative analysis of the protic ILs and corresponding ILs (1R3MeIm) with the same radical (R) in the cation structure and the same anion has been performed. The lower melting points of the ILs with 1R3MeIm cations are assumed to result from the weakening of both the ion-ion interaction and the hydrogen bond.     

Transformation of Atmospheric CO2 Catalyzed by Protic Ionic Liquids: Efficient Synthesis of 2‐Oxazolidinones

Protic ionic liquids (PILs), such as 1,8‐diazabicyclo[5.4.0]‐7‐undecenium 2‐methylimidazolide [DBUH][MIm], can catalyze the reaction of atmospheric CO₂ with a broad range of propargylic amines to form the corresponding 2‐oxazolidinones. The products are formed in high yields under mild, metal‐free conditions. The cheaper and greener PILs can be easily recycled and reused at least five times without a decrease in the catalytic activity and selectivity. A reaction mechanism was proposed on the basis of a detailed DFT study which indicates that both the cation and anion of the PIL play key synergistic roles in accelerating the reaction.     

Effect of mono-, di- and tri-ethanolammonium tetrafluoroborate protonic ionic liquids on the volatility of water, ethanol, and methanol

Vapor pressure data were measured for nine binary systems containing water, ethanol, or methanol with one of three protonic ionic liquids (PILs), viz. mono-, di- and tri-ethanolammonium tetrafluoroborate ([HMEA][BF₄], [HDEA][BF₄], and [HTEA][BF₄]), at varying temperatures and PIL-contents using a quasi-static ebulliometer. The vapor pressure data were correlated by NRTL model with an overall average absolute relative deviation (AARD) of 0.0175. It is showed that the effect of PILs on the vapor pressure lowering of solvents follows the order of [HMEA][BF₄] > [HDEA][BF₄] > [HTEA][BF₄], and the vapor pressure lowering degree follows the order of water > methanol > ethanol. Besides, the activity coefficients of solvent for binary system {solvent + PIL} at fixed PIL mole fraction of 0.10 were calculated using the regressed NRTL parameters. The results indicate that three PILs can give rise to a negative deviation from the Raoult's law for water and methanol and a positive deviation for ethanol to a varying degree, leading to the variation of relative volatility of a solvent.     

Experimental Investigation on Thermophysical Properties of Ammonium-Based Protic Ionic Liquids and Their Potential Ability towards CO2 Capture

Ionic liquids, which are extensively known as low-melting-point salts, have received significant attention as the promising solvent for CO₂ capture. This work presents the synthesis, thermophysical properties and the CO₂ absorption of a series of ammonium cations coupled with carboxylate anions producing ammonium-based protic ionic liquids (PILs), namely 2-ethylhexylammonium pentanoate ([EHA][C5]), 2-ethylhexylammonium hexanoate ([EHA][C6]), 2-ethylhexylammonium heptanoate ([EHA][C7]), bis-(2-ethylhexyl)ammonium pentanoate ([BEHA][C5]), bis-(2-ethylhexyl)ammonium hexanoate ([BEHA][C6]) and bis-(2-ethylhexyl)ammonium heptanoate ([BEHA][C7]). The chemical structures of the PILs were confirmed by using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy while the density (ρ) and the dynamic viscosity (η) of the PILs were determined and analyzed in a range from 293.15K up to 363.15K. The refractive index (n_D) was also measured at T = (293.15 to 333.15) K. Thermal analyses conducted via a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) indicated that all PILs have the thermal decomposition temperature, T_d of greater than 416K and the presence of glass transition, T_g was detected in each PIL. The CO₂ absorption of the PILs was studied up to 29 bar at 298.15 K and the experimental results showed that [BEHA][C7] had the highest CO₂ absorption with 0.78 mol at 29 bar. The CO₂ absorption values increase in the order of [C5] < [C6] < [C7] anion regardless of the nature of the cation.     

Crosslinking of a Single Poly(ionic liquid) by Water into Porous Supramolecular Membranes

Reversible regulation of membrane microstructures via non‐covalent interactions is of considerable interest yet remains a challenge. Herein, we discover a general one‐step approach to fabricate supramolecular porous polyelectrolyte membranes (SPPMs) from a single poly(ionic liquid) (PIL). The experimental results and theoretical simulation suggested that SPPMs were formed by a hydrogen‐bond‐induced phase separation of a PIL between its polar and apolar domains, which were linked together by water molecules. This unique feature was capable of modulating microscopic porous architectures and thus the global mechanical property of SPPMs by a rational design of the molecular structure of PILs. Such SPPMs could switch porosity upon thermal stimuli, as exemplified by dynamically adaptive transparency to thermal fluctuation. This finding provides fascinating opportunities for creating multifunctional SPPMs.     

Functional Poly(ionic liquid) Porous Membranes: From Fabrications to Advanced Applications†

Polyelectrolyte porous membranes (PPMs) belong to the most interesting classes of materials, because the synergy of tunable pore sizes and charge nature of polyelectrolyte endow them with wide-ranging practical applications. However, owing to the water solubility and ionic nature of the polyelectrolytes, traditional polyelectrolytes are difficult to use in scalable preparation of high-quality PPMs through the well-developed industrial methods. Poly(ionic liquid)s (PIL) are a subclass of functional polyelectrolytes bearing ionic liquid groups in their repeating unites, inheriting the advantages of ionic liquids (ILs) and macromolecular architecture features. In recent years, along with rapid development of PIL materials chemistry, considerable and significant developments involving the novel preparation methods, and structure-property-function relationships of PPMs have been made. In this review, we highlight the latest discovery and proceedings of PPMs, particularly the advancements in how to tailor structures and properties of PPMs by rational structure design of PILs. The formation mechanisms of various PPMs were also discussed in detail from the viewpoint of PILs molecular structures. A future perspective of the challenges and promising potential of PPMs is cast on the basis of these achievements. We expect that these analyses and deductions will be useful for the design of useful PPMs and serve as a source of inspiration for the design of future multifunctional PPMs.      

Highly selective GC stationary phases consisting of binary mixtures of polymeric ionic liquids

GC stationary phases composed of binary mixtures of two polymeric ionic liquids (PILs), namely, poly(1‐vinyl‐3‐hexylimidazolium) bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide (poly(ViHIm‐NTf₂))/poly(1‐vinyl‐3‐hexylimidazolium) chloride (poly(ViHIm‐Cl)) and poly(1‐vinyl‐3‐hexadecylimidazolium) bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide (poly(ViHDIm‐NTf₂))/poly(1‐vinyl‐3‐hexadecylimidazolium) chloride (poly(ViHDIm‐Cl)), were evaluated in terms of their on‐set bleed temperature and separation selectivity. A total of six neat or binary PIL stationary phases were characterized using the solvation parameter model to investigate the effects of the polymeric cation and anion and PIL composition on the system constants of the resulting stationary phases. The hydrogen bond basicity of the mixed poly(ViHIm‐NTf₂)/poly(ViHIm‐Cl) stationary phases was enriched linearly with the increase in the poly(ViHIm‐Cl) content. Results revealed that tuning the composition of the stationary phase allowed for fine control of the retention factors and separation selectivity for alcohols and carboxylic acids as well as selected ketones, aldehydes, and aromatic compounds. A reversal of elution order was observed for particular classes of analytes when the weight percentage of the chloride‐based PIL was increased.     

Nanostructure changes in protic ionic liquids (PILs) through adding solutes and mixing PILs

The effect of adding primary n-alcohols with aliphatic chains and hexane on the nanostructure of a series of 14 protic ionic liquids (PILs) was explored using small and wide angle X-ray scattering (SAXS and WAXS). PILs were investigated with primary, secondary and tertiary ammonium cations containing different alkyl chain lengths, with and without hydroxyl substitution of the alkyl chain. Formate or nitrate anions were paired with these cations. The PILs which had no identified intermediate range order between 5-16 ? had very low solubilities of the solutes. The other PILs, which had non-polar domains present, were mostly miscible with the primary alcohols of ethanol, propanol and butanol. When the alkyl chain length of the alcohols was similar to the PILs then the alcohols co-partitioned with the alkylammonium cation components of the PILs and caused either an increase or decrease in the size of the non-polar domains, depending on whether the alcohol chain length was longer or shorter than that of the cation in the PIL respectively. For ethylammonium nitrate (EAN) with propanol or butanol and propylammonium nitrate (PAN) with butanol, the difference between the alcohol chain length and the alkyl chain length was too great to lead to a modified nanostructure, and instead large aggregates were present. The solubility of hexane in the alkylammonium nitrate PILs had a very strong correlation to the alkyl chain length. The addition of hexane had very little effect on the non-polar domain sizes, which was attributed to it not being orientated in alignment with the alkylammonium cations in the non-polar domains. Lastly, seven binary PIL-PIL solution series were investigated using SAXS and WAXS to show how the nanostructure of these systems can be fine tuned to control the size and structure of the non-polar domains.     

Synthesis of polymeric ionic liquid microsphere/Pt nanoparticle hybrids for electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol and catalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol

Herein, we present a facile approach for the synthesis of polymeric ionic liquids (PILs) microspheres for metal scavenging and catalysis. Crosslinked poly(1‐butyl‐3‐vinylimidazolium bromide) microspheres with the diameter of about 200 nm were synthesized via miniemulsion polymerization, in which 1,4‐di(vinylimidazolium) butane bisbromide was added as the crosslinker. Anion exchange of PIL microspheres with Pt precursor and followed by the reduction of Pt ions produced PIL microsphere supported Pt nanoparticle hybrids. The synthesized Pt nanoparticles with a diameter of about 2 nm are uniformly dispersed and strongly bound to the surface of PIL microspheres. The catalytic performances of PIL/Pt nanoparticle hybrids were evaluated for both the electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol and oxidation of benzyl alcohol. The PIL/Pt nanoparticle hybrids show better electrocatalytic activity towards the electrooxidation of methanol than pure Pt nanoparticles. Furthermore, they are effective and easily reusable catalysts for the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol in aqueous reaction media, demonstrating that the synthesized PIL microspheres are suitable scaffolds for heterogeneous catalysts Pt. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Preparation of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) gel composites using poly(ionic liquids)

This paper reports a new and practical route for synthesizing nanotube-polymeric ionic liquids gel by non-covalent functionalization of oxidized single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) surfaces with imidazolium-based poly(ionic liquids) (PILs), using in situ radical polymerization method. A black and homogeneous precipitate SWNTs was obtained as a gel form, which is well dispersed in aqueous solution without any aggregation. The formation of SWNT gels is explained by the electrostatic attractions or π-bonds between the SWNT surface and the PIL matrix. By anion-exchange reaction of PIL bound to SWNTs, hydrophilic anions in PIL were substituted with hydrophobic anions, resulting in an effective transfer of SWNT-PIL hydrogels to organogels. The result also showed that SWNTs can effectively improve the conductivity along with the thermal stability of nanocomposite gels.     

Effect of mono-, di- and tri-ethanolammonium tetrafluoroborate protonic ionic liquids on vapour liquid equilibria of ethanol aqueous solution

Vapour pressures were measured using a quasi-static ebulliometer for the binary mixture of (water + ethanol) containing one of three protonic ionic liquids (PIL), namely, mono-, di- or tri-ethanolammonium tetrafluoroborate, over the temperature range of (318.24 to 356.58) K at fixed PIL content of 0.30 in mass fraction. The vapour pressure data of the PIL-containing ternary systems were correlated using the NRTL equation with an overall root mean square deviation (RMSD) of 0.0092. The regressed NRTL parameters were used to predict the isobaric vapour liquid equilibria (VLE) for ternary systems (water + ethanol + PIL) at varying mass fraction of PIL and atmospheric pressure (101.3 kPa). It is shown that the effect of PILs on the VLE of the (water + ethanol) mixture follows the order: [HTEA][BF₄] > [HDEA][BF₄] > [HMEA][BF₄]. In addition, the relative volatilities of ethanol to water for pseudo-binary systems (water + ethanol + PIL) were calculated. The results indicate that the PILs studied can enhance the relative volatility of ethanol to water and even break the azeotropic behaviour of ethanol aqueous solution when PIL content is increased to a specified content.     

Ordered 2-D and 3-D nanostructured amphiphile self-assembly materials stable in excess solvent

Amphiphile lyotropic liquid crystalline self-assembly materials are being used for a diverse range of applications. Historically, the most studied lyotropic liquid crystalline phase is probably the one-dimensional (1-D) lamellar phase, which has been employed as a model system for biomembranes and for drug delivery applications. In recent years, the structurally more complex 2-D and 3-D ordered lyotropic liquid crystalline phases, of which reversed hexagonal (H(2)) and reversed cubic phases (v(2)) are two prominent examples, have received growing interest. As is the case for the lamellar phase, these phases are frequently stable in excess water, which facilitates the preparation of nanoparticle dispersions and makes them suitable candidates for the encapsulation and controlled release of drugs. Integral membrane protein crystallization media and templates for the synthesis of inorganic nanostructured materials are other applications for 2-D and 3-D amphiphile self-assembly materials. The number of amphiphiles identified as forming nanostructured reversed phases stable in excess solvent is rapidly growing. In this article, different classes of amphiphiles that form reversed phases in excess solvent are reviewed, with an emphasis on linking phase behavior to amphiphile structure. The different amphiphile classes include: ethylene oxide-, monoacylglycerol-, glycolipid-, phosphatidylethanolamine-, and urea-based amphiphiles.