Capacitive performance of ordered mesoporous carbons with tunable porous texture in ionic liquid electrolytes

Ordered mesoporous carbons with tunable pore size and surface chemical properties are prepared by doping boric acid using a hard-templating method. The capacitive performance of these carbons is investigated in two common ionic liquids of EMImBF₄ and EMImTSFI. As demonstrated by the structure analysis, the pore size increases from 3.3 to 5.7 nm and the content of oxygenated groups on the carbon surface increases from 2.0 to 5.2 mol% with the increase of the boron doping from 0 to 50 mol%. In ionic liquid electrolyte, the carbons mainly show typical electric double layer capacitance, and the capacitance retention ratio and ion diffusion in the carbon channels is determined to the surface chemical property. The prepared carbons present visible pseudo-capacitance due to the rapid redox reactions of the oxygenated groups in hydrophilic EMImBF₄, reflecting by the increasing of the specific surface capacitance, while no visible pseudo-capacitive behavior was observed in hydrophobic EMImTSFI.     

Enhanced lithium transference numbers in ionic liquid electrolytes

Ion transport processes in mixtures of N-butyl- N-methyl-pyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (BMP-TFSI) and lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (Li-TFSI) were characterized by ac impedance spectroscopy and pulsed field gradient NMR. Molar ratios x = n Li-TFSI/( n Li-TFSI + n BMP-TFSI) up to 0.377 could be achieved without crystallization. From the bulk ionic conductivity and the individual diffusion coefficients of cations and anions we calculate the Haven ratio and the apparent lithium transference number. Although the Haven ratio exhibits typical values for ionic liquid electrolytes, the maximal apparent lithium transference number is higher than found in other recent studies on ionic liquid electrolytes containing lithium ions. On the basis of these results we discuss strategies for further improving the lithium transference number of such electrolytes.     

A greener electrochromic liquid crystal based on ionic liquid electrolytes

An electrochromic liquid crystal (ECLC) material composed of only liquid crystal (LC) and ionic liquid (IL) was developed. The LC containing the substituted diphenylacetylene serves as electrochromic (EC) material to realise transmittance and colour change under the direct current (DC) field, while the IL with the designable cation and anion served as electrolyte. Herein, a series of IL electrolytes was screened to investigate how IL tunes the electro-optic performance of the ECLC cell. By testing the electrochemistry window of ILs in EC cells, IL with the [NTf₂]^? anion shows adequate electrochemical stability when the EC material undergoes oxidation and reduction. The electro-optic performance of ECLC containing 1-ethoxy-4-[2-(4-pentylphenyl) ethynyl]-benzene (PEB) and IL was then evaluated by UV-vis spectrometry under the control of an electrochemical work station. Compared with other PEB-IL, PEB-[Bmim][NTf₂] with [Bmim][NTf₂] electrolyte shows a satisfactory transmittance at low operating voltage. Furthermore, Pd NPs in situ formed in [Bmim][NTf₂] reduced the EC potential and improved the light scattering of the ECLC cell. In this work, we also designed a bifunctional device based on polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) that hosts electrochromic guest molecules, and analysed the electro-optical and electrochromic properties of LC electrolyte mixtures, in order to gain control of the incident daylight and glare in building and automotive applications.     

Outstanding room-temperature capacitance of biomass-derived microporous carbons in ionic liquid electrolyte

A remarkable capacitance of 180 F·g^− 1 (at 5 mV·s^− 1) in solvent-free room-temperature ionic liquid electrolyte, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, was achieved in symmetric supercapacitors using microporous carbons with a specific surface area of ca. 2000 m²·g^− 1 calculated from gas sorption by the 2D-NLDFT method. The efficient capacitive charge storage was ascribed to textural properties: unlike most activated carbons, high specific surface area was made accessible to the bulky ions of the ionic liquid electrolyte thanks to micropores (1–2 nm) enabled by fine-tuning chemical activation. From the industrial perspective, a high volumetric capacitance of ca. 80 F·cm^− 3 was reached in neat ionic liquid due to the absence of mesopores. The use of microporous carbons from biomass waste represents an important advantage for large-scale production of high energy density supercapacitors.     

Acidic task-specific ionic liquid as catalyst of microwave-assisted solvent-free Biginelli reaction

A simple and effective synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one and 3,4-dihydropyrimidine-2(1H)-thione derivatives has been developed on the basis of three-component condensation of substituted aromatic and heterocyclic aldehydes, methyl acetoacetate, and urea or thiourea in the presence of 10% of an acidic task-specific ionic liquid ([C₄mim][HSO₄]) as catalyst under microwave irradiation in the absence of a solvent. The proposed procedure ensures short reaction times (4.4–8 min) and good yields after purification by recrystallization. Published in Russian in Zhurnal Organicheskoi Khimii, 2007, Vol. 43, No. 7, pp. 1063–1070. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Room temperature ionic liquid electrolytes for redox flow batteries

Redox flow batteries (RFBs) usually contain aqueous or organic electrolytes. The aim of this communication is to explore the suitability of room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) as solvents for RFBs containing metal complexes. Towards this aim, the electrochemistry of the metal acetylacetonate (acac) complexes Mn(acac)₃, Cr(acac)₃, and V(acac)₃ was studied in imidazolium-based RTILs. The V²⁺/V³⁺, V³⁺/V⁴⁺, and V⁴⁺/V⁵⁺ redox couples are quasi-reversible in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, [C₂C₁Im][N(Tf₂)]. The Mn(acac)₃ and Cr(acac)₃ voltammetry, on the other hand, is irreversible in [C₂C₁Im][N(Tf₂)] at glassy carbon (GC) but the rate of the Mn²⁺/Mn³⁺ reaction increases if Au electrodes are used. Charge–discharge measurements show that a coulombic efficiency of 72% is achievable using a V(acac)₃/[C₂C₁Im][N(Tf₂)]/GC cell.     

Novel polymer electrolytes prepared by copolymerization of ionic liquid monomers

Ionic liquid monomer couples were prepared by the neutralization of 1‐vinylimidazole with vinylsulfonic acid or 3‐sulfopropyl acrylate. These ionic liquid monomer couples were viscous liquid at room temperature and showed low glass transition temperature (Tg) at ?83 °C and ?73 °C, respectively. These monomer couples were copolymerized to prepare ion conductive polymer matrix. Thus prepared ionic liquid copolymers had no carrier ions, and they showed very low ionic conductivity of below 10^?9 S cm^?1. Equimolar amount of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) to imidazolium salt unit was then added to generate carrier ions in the ionic liquid copolymers. Poly(vinylimidazolium‐co‐vinylsulfonate) containing equimolar LiTFSI showed the ionic conductivity of 4 × 10^?8 S cm^?1 at 30 °C. Advanced copolymer, poly(vinylimidazolium‐co‐3‐sulfopropyl acrylate) which has flexible spacer between the anionic charge and polymer main chain, showed the ionic conductivity of about 10^?6 S cm^?1 at 30 °C, which is 100 times higher than that of copolymer without spacer. Even an excess amount of LiTFSI was added, the ionic conductivity of the copolymer kept this conductivity. This tendency is completely different from the typical polyether systems. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cation-anion interactions in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate-based ionic liquid electrolytes

An important step in developing ionic-liquid-based electrolytes for lithium rechargeable batteries is obtaining a molecular-level understanding of the ionic interactions that occur in these systems. In this study, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethansulfonate ([C2mim]CF3SO3) is complexed with LiCF3SO3, and the local structures of the CF3SO3- and [C2mim]+ ions are investigated with infrared and Raman spectroscopy. The isolation and subsequent refinement of a Li[C2mim](CF3SO3)2 crystal provides further insight into the structure of the [C2mim]CF3SO3-LiCF3SO3 solutions. Minor changes are observed in the infrared and Raman spectra of dilute [C2mim]CF3SO3-LiCF3SO3 solutions compared to pure [C2mim]CF3SO3. However, a suspension of very small Li[C2mim](CF3SO3)2 crystallites forms at a solution composition of [C2mim]CF3SO3:LiCF3SO3 = 10:1 (mole ratio), placing an upper limit on the solubility of LiCF3SO3. Essentially no changes are observed in the vibrational modes of the [C2mim]+ cations over the entire range of LiCF3SO3 compositions studied, suggesting that the addition of these compounds does not significantly perturb the local structure of the [C2mim]+ cations. The salt used in this study has a common anion with the ionic liquid; thus, the ion cloud surrounding the [C2mim]+ ions, which must be primarily composed of CF3SO3- anions, is not significantly altered with the addition of LiCF3SO3.     

Boron and nitrogen-rich carbons from ionic liquid precursors with tailorable surface properties

A novel strategy for tailoring the adsorption and structural properties of ionic liquid derived carbons has been developed. By changing the carbonization temperature and ratios of ionic liquids (ILs) containing a cross-linkable anion, such as 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tricyanomethanide [BMIm][C(CN)(3)] and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetracyanoborate [EMIm][B(CN)(4)], boron and nitrogen-rich carbons with slit-like pores and specific surface areas exceeding 500 m(2) g(-1) have been prepared. Furthermore, the nitrogen-rich carbons exhibit high adsorption capacity for CO(2) adsorption and selectivity for CO(2)/N(2) separation.     

Rubbery copolymer electrolytes containing polymerized ionic liquid for dye-sensitized solar cells

A novel type of random copolymer comprised of a polymerized ionic liquid, poly(1-((4-ethenylphenyl)methyl)-3-butyl-imidazolium iodide) (PEBII), and amorphous rubbery poly(oxyethylene methacrylate) (POEM) was synthesized and employed as a solid electrolyte in an I₂-free dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The copolymer electrolytes deeply infiltrated into the nanopores of mesoporous TiO2 films, resulting in improved interfacial contact of electrode/electrolyte. The glass transition temperature (T _g) of the PEBII–POEM (?23 °C) was lower than that of PEBII homopolymer (?4 °C), indicating greater chain flexibility in the former. However, the DSSC efficiency of PEBII–POEM (4.5 % at 100 mW/cm²) was lower than that of PEBII (5.9 %), indicating that ion concentration is more important than chain flexibility. Interestingly, upon the introduction of ionic liquid, i.e., 1-methyl-3 propylimidazolium iodide, the efficiency of PEBII remained almost constant (5.8 %), whereas that of PEBII–POEM was significantly improved up to 7.0 % due to increased I^? ion concentration, which is one of the highest values for I₂-free DSSCs.     

Solvent-free ionic liquid electrolytes without elemental iodine for dye-sensitized solar cells

A new type of electrolyte with a sulfide/polysulfide redox couple and I(-) was prepared as a solvent-free ionic liquid for application in dye-sensitized solar cells, reaching efficiencies of 5.2-6.4% under AM 1.5G, 100 mW cm(-2) light illumination, and 6.6% efficiency was obtained under 0.1 sun irradiation.     

Ionization condition of lithium ionic liquid electrolytes under the solvation effect of liquid and solid solvents

Ionization condition and ionic structures of the lithium ionic liquid electrolytes, LiTFSI/EMI-TFSI/(PEG or silica), were investigated through the measurements of ionic conductivity and diffusion coefficient. The size of the hydrodynamic lithium species (rLi) evaluated from the Stokes-Einstein equation was 0.90 nm before gelation with the PEG or silica. This reveals that the TFSI- anions from the solvent are coordinated on Li+ for solvation, forming, for example, Li(TFSI)4(3-) and Li(TFSI)2- in the electrolyte solution. By the dispersion of PEG for gelation, rLi increased up to 1.8 nm with the 10 wt % of PEG. This indicates that the lithium species is directly interacted with the oxygen sites on the polymer chains and the lithium species migrate, reflecting the polymer by hopping from site to site. In case of the silica dispersion, rLi decreased to 0.7 nm at 10 wt % silica. Although the silica surface with silanol groups fundamentally attracts Li+, the lithium does not migrate from site to site on the silica surface as in the gel of the polymer and follows random walk behavior in the network of the liquid-phase pathways in the two-phase gel. In the process, that solvated TFSI- anions are partially removed may be due to the attractive effect of H+, which was dissociated from the silanol group. It is concluded that the dispersed silica is effective to modify the hydrodynamic lithium species to be appropriate for charge transport as reducing the size and anionic charge of Li(TFSI)4(3-) by removing one or two TFSI- anions.     

Existing condition and migration property of ions in lithium electrolytes with ionic liquid solvent

Ionization conditions of each ionic species in lithium ionic liquid electrolytes, LiTFSI/BMI-TFSI and LiTFSI/BDMI-TFSI, were confirmed based on the diffusion coefficients of the species measured by the pulsed gradient spin-echo (PGSE) NMR technique. We found that the diffusion coefficient ratios of the cation and anion species D(Li)(obs)/D(F)(obs) of the lithium salt and D(H)(obs)/D(F)(obs) of the ionic liquid solvent were effective guides to evaluate the ionization condition responsible for their mobility. Lithium ions were found to be stabilized, forming the solvated species as Li(TFSI)3(2-). TFSI- anion coordination could be relaxed by the dispersion of silica to form a gel electrolyte, LiTFSI/BDMI-TFSI/silica. It is expected that the oxygen sites on the silica directly attract Li+, releasing the TFSI- coordination. The lithium species, loosing TFSI- anions, kept a random walk feature in the gel without the diffusion restriction attributed from the strong chemical and morphological effect as that in the gel with the polymer. We can conclude that the silica dispersion is a significant approach to provide the appropriate lithium ion condition as a charge-transporting species in the ionic liquid electrolytes.     

Molybdenum electrodes for hydrogen production by water electrolysis using ionic liquid electrolytes

The hydrogen production by water electrolysis was tested with different electrocatalysts (molybdenum, nickel, iron alloys containing chromium, manganese and nickel) using aqueous solutions of ionic liquid (IL) like 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMI.BF₄). The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) was performed at room temperature in a potential of −1.7 V (PtQRE). A Hoffman cell apparatus was used to water electrolysis with current density values, j, between 14.6 mA cm⁻² (for Ni electrode) and 77.5 mA cm⁻² (for Mo electrode). The system efficiency was very high for all electrocatalysts tested, between 97.0% and 99.2%. The energy activation values of HER was determined in an aqueous solution of BMI.BF₄ 10 vol.%, using platinum (23.40 kJ mol⁻¹) and Mo (9.22 kJ mol⁻¹) as electrocatalysts. The results show that the hydrogen production in IL electrolyte can be carried out with cheap material at room temperature, which makes this method economically attractive.     

Lithium-ion batteries based on vertically-aligned carbon nanotube electrodes and ionic liquid electrolytes

In conjunction with environmentally benign ionic liquid electrolytes, vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes (VA-CNTs) sheathed with and without a coaxial layer of vanadium oxide (V(2)O(5)) were used as both cathode and anode, respectively, to develop high-performance and high-safety lithium-ion batteries. The VA-CNT anode and V(2)O(5)-VA-CNT cathode showed a high capacity (600 mAh g(-1) and 368 mAh g(-1), respectively) with a high rate capability. This led to potential to achieve a high energy density (297 Wh kg(-1)) and power density (12 kW kg(-1)) for the prototype batteries to significantly outperform the current state-of-the-art Li-ion batteries.     

Anion-selective electrodes based on ionic liquid membranes: effect of ionic liquid anion on observed response

A systematic study of the behavior of ion-exchanger anion-selective electrodes prepared from seven different trihexyltetradecylphosphonium ionic liquids (ILs) was performed. The effective ion-exchange capacity of prepared ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) increased with decreasing IL anion lipophilicity, and analyte anion response slopes became more Nernstian concomitantly. With ILs having the most lipophilic constituent anions, incorporation of tridodecylmethylammonium chloride into membranes significantly enhanced responses toward all ions. However, ILs based on bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide and dodecylsulfate maintained sub-Nernstian responses upon such addition apparently due to their ability to coordinate cations. Electrodes prepared with high IL content displayed regions of super-Nernstian response, which could be eliminated by reducing percent of IL in the membrane; percentages at which optimal linear range was achieved also followed a trend with decreasing constituent IL anion lipophilicity. While selectivities of all electrodes followed the Hofmeister pattern, selectivity coefficient ranges generally were narrower than observed with traditionally plasticized ISEs, and selectivities for more hydrophilic analytes were improved slightly in ILs containing the most hydrophilic constituent anions.     

Selenonium ionic liquid as an efficient catalyst for the synthesis of thioacetals under solvent-free conditions

Acidic ionic liquid butyl ethyl phenyl selenonium tetrafluoroborate, [BEPSe]BF₄, was successfully employed as a catalyst for the synthesis of several dithioacetals in the absence of a solvent. The method is general and selectively afforded thioacetals derived from aldehydes and ketones in good yields.     

Effect of polar solvent acetonitrile on the electrochemical behavior of polyaniline in ionic liquid electrolytes

Polyaniline film was electropolymerized in organic acidic media (CF3COOH) and then investigated by cyclic voltammetry, AC impedance, and galvanostatic charging and discharging tests in ionic liquid-1-methyl-3-butylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BMIPF6) and the mixture electrolytes of BMIPF6 and acetonitrile (ACN) with different ratios. The results showed that the polymer in mixture of BMIPF6 and ACN have lower solution resistance, higher cycle life, and higher electrochemical capacitance. The relationship of the peak current to the scan rates provides some insight into the nature of the polyaniline film switching reaction in different electrolytes.     

Mechanisms of ion transport in lithium salt-doped polymeric ionic liquid electrolytes at higher salt concentrations

We used atomistic simulations to study the mechanisms of ion transport in salt-doped polymeric ionic liquid systems at higher salt concentrations. Consistent with the experimental observations, our simulations indicate that at higher salt concentrations, the anion mobilities become lower than that of the lithium cations. Further, the anion mobilities become relatively insensitive to the salt concentration, while the mobilities of lithium increase with increasing salt concentration. We rationalize the results for the anion mobilities by considering the fractions of anions which are exclusively coordinated with the polycations (Type1); co-coordinated with cations and lithium (Type2); and those exclusively coordinated with lithium (Type3). By considering the coordination characteristics of the different types of anions and their hopping motions, we demonstrate that the net anion mobilities results from a compensation effect of the salt concentration dependence of the mobilities of the different anions. With respect to the mobilities of the lithium ions, we demonstrate that the latter moves primarily by a structural diffusion mechanism involving refreshing of the solvation shell during hopping. Further, for the majority of the lithium ions, the solvation shell is shown to be comprised of co-coordinated Type2 anions, and that the number of polycations and the unique polymer chains involved in such coordination decreases with increasing salt concentration. Such changes are shown to weaken the solvation shell around the lithium, thereby facilitating faster ion motion. Together, our results suggest that systems in which the anion which exhibits a stronger coordination to the polycation in comparison to that of the lithium can facilitate higher transference numbers without a concomitant reduction in the mechanical strength.