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.     

离子液体在CO_2捕集中的应用进展

离子液体具有蒸汽压极低、热稳定性好、热容低和可以根据目标需求进行设计等特性,能克服传统CO2捕集工艺的诸多不足,因而成为目前CO2捕集溶剂的研究热点。本文主要综述了普通离子液体、功能化离子液体、支撑型离子液体膜、聚合型离子液体和离子液体复配溶液在CO2捕集方面的应用研究进展,评述了各种方法的优势和缺点,并在此基础上提出...     

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).     

Why Is CO2 so soluble in imidazolium-based ionic liquids?

Experimental and molecular modeling studies are conducted to investigate the underlying mechanisms for the high solubility of CO2 in imidazolium-based ionic liquids. CO2 absorption isotherms at 10, 25, and 50 degrees C are reported for six different ionic liquids formed by pairing three different anions with two cations that differ only in the nature of the "acidic" site at the 2-position on the imidazolium ring. Molecular dynamics simulations of these two cations paired with hexafluorophosphate in the pure state and mixed with CO2 are also described. Both the experimental and the simulation results indicate that the anion has the greatest impact on the solubility of CO2. Experimentally, it is found that the bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide anion has the greatest affinity for CO2, while there is little difference in CO2 solubility between ionic liquids having the tetrafluoroborate or hexafluorophosphate anion. The simulations show strong organization of CO2 about hexafluorophosphate anions, but only small differences in CO2 structure about the different cations. This is consistent with the experimental finding that, for a given anion, there are only small differences in CO2 solubility for the two cations. Computed and measured densities, partial molar volumes, and thermal expansion coefficients are also reported.     

Effects of conformational flexibility of alkyl chains of cations on diffusion of ions in ionic liquids

Molecular dynamics simulations of ionic liquids [1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium (alkyl = ethyl, butyl and hexyl), N-butylpyridinium, N-butyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium and N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium cations combined with the (CF(3)SO(2))(2)N(-) (TFSA) anion] show that the conformational flexibility of the alkyl chains in the cations is one of the important factors determining the diffusion of ions. Artificial constraint imposed on the internal rotation of alkyl chains significantly decreases the self-diffusion coefficients of cations and anions. The internal rotation of the C-N bond connecting the alkyl chain and the aromatic ring has large effects on the diffusion of ions in imidazolium and pyridinium based ionic liquids. The calculated self-diffusion coefficients of cations and anions decrease 20-40% by imposing the torsional constraint of the C-N bond. On the other hand the torsional constraint of the C-N bond does not largely change the diffusion of ions in the quaternary alkyl ammonium based ionic liquids. The conformational flexibility of the terminal C-C-C-C bond of the alkyl chains has large effects on the diffusion of ions in the quaternary alkyl ammonium based ionic liquids. The influence of the electrostatic interactions and the high density of ionic liquids on the diffusion of ions were studied. The electrostatic interactions have the paramount importance on the slow diffusion of ions in ionic liquids, while the high density of ionic liquids is also responsible for the slow diffusion. The electrostatic interactions and the high density of ionic liquids enhance the effects of the torsional constraint on the diffusion of ions, which suggests that the charge-ordering structure and small free volume originated in the strong electrostatic interactions are the causes of the significant effects of the conformational flexibility on the diffusion of ions in ionic liquids.     

Molecular dynamics simulation of the ionic liquid N-ethyl-N,N-dimethyl-N-(2-methoxyethyl)ammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide

Thermodynamics, structure, and dynamics of an ionic liquid based on a quaternary ammonium salt with ether side chain, namely, N-ethyl-N,N-dimethyl-N-(2-methoxyethyl)ammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, MOENM2E TFSI, are investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Average density and configurational energy of simulated MOENM2E TFSI are interpreted with models that take into account empirical ionic volumes. A throughout comparison of the equilibrium structure of MOENM2E TFSI with previous results for the more common ionic liquids based on imidazolium cations is provided. Several time correlation functions are used to reveal the microscopic dynamics of MOENM2E TFSI. Structural relaxation is discussed by the calculation of simultaneous space-time correlation functions. Temperature effects on transport coefficients (diffusion, conductivity, and viscosity) are investigated. The ratio between the actual conductivity and the estimate from ionic diffusion by the Nernst-Einstein equation indicates that correlated motion of neighboring ions in MOENM2E TFSI is similar to imidazolium ionic liquids. In line with experiment, Walden plot of conductivity and viscosity indicates that simulated MOENM2E TFSI should be classified as a poor ionic liquid.     

Theoretical and experimental correlations of gas dissolution, diffusion, and thermodynamic properties in determination of gas permeability and selectivity in supported ionic liquid membranes

Supported ionic liquid membranes (SILMs) has the potential to be a new technological platform for gas/organic vapour separation because of the unique non-volatile nature and discriminating gas dissolution properties of room temperature ionic liquids (ILs). This work starts with an examination of gas dissolution and transport properties in bulk imidazulium cation based ionic liquids [C(n)mim][NTf2] (n=2.4, 6, 8.10) from simple gas H(2), N(2), to polar CO(2), and C(2)H(6), leading to a further analysis of how gas dissolution and diffusion are influenced by molecular specific gas-SILMs interactions, reflected by differences in gas dissolution enthalpy and entropy. These effects were elucidated again during gas permeation studies by examining how changes in these properties and molecular specific interactions work together to cause deviations from conventional solution-diffusion theory and their impact on some remarkably contrasting gas perm-selectivity performance. The experimental perm-selectivity for all tested gases showed varied and contrasting deviation from the solution-diffusion, depending on specific gas-IL combinations. It transpires permeation for simpler non-polar gases (H(2), N(2)) is diffusion controlled, but strong molecular specific gas-ILs interactions led to a different permeation and selectivity performance for C(2)H(6) and CO(2). With exothermic dissolution enthalpy and large order disruptive entropy, C(2)H(6) displayed the fastest permeation rate at increased gas phase pressure in spite of its smallest diffusivity among the tested gases. The C(2)H(6) gas molecules "peg" on the side alkyl chain on the imidazulium cation at low concentration, and are well dispersed in the ionic liquids phase at high concentration. On the other hand strong CO(2)-ILs affinity resulted in a more prolonged "residence time" for the gas molecule, typified by reversed CO(2)/N(2) selectivity and slowest CO(2) transport despite CO(2) possess the highest solubility and comparable diffusivity in the ionic liquids. The unique transport and dissolution behaviour of CO(2) are further exploited by examining the residing state of CO(2) molecules in the ionic liquid phase, which leads to a hypothesis of a condensing and holding capacity of ILs towards CO(2), which provide an explanation to slower CO(2) transport through the SILMs. The pressure related exponential increase in permeations rate is also analysed which suggests a typical concentration dependent diffusion rate at high gas concentration under increased gas feed pressure. Finally the strong influence of discriminating and molecular specific gas-ILs interactions on gas perm-selectivity performance points to future specific design of ionic liquids for targeted gas separations.     

Intermolecular vibrations and fast relaxations in supercooled ionic liquids

Short-time dynamics of ionic liquids has been investigated by low-frequency Raman spectroscopy (4 < ω < 100 cm(-1)) within the supercooled liquid range. Raman spectra are reported for ionic liquids with the same anion, bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, and different cations: 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium, 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium, 1-butyl-1-methylpiperidinium, trimethylbutylammonium, and tributylmethylammonium. It is shown that low-frequency Raman spectroscopy provides similar results as optical Kerr effect (OKE) spectroscopy, which has been used to study intermolecular vibrations in ionic liquids. The comparison of ionic liquids containing aromatic and non-aromatic cations identifies the characteristic feature in Raman spectra usually assigned to librational motion of the imidazolium ring. The strength of the fast relaxations (quasi-elastic scattering, QES) and the intermolecular vibrational contribution (boson peak) of ionic liquids with non-aromatic cations are significantly lower than imidazolium ionic liquids. A correlation length assigned to the boson peak vibrations was estimated from the frequency of the maximum of the boson peak and experimental data of sound velocity. The correlation length related to the boson peak (～19 A?) does not change with the length of the alkyl chain in imidazolium cations, in contrast to the position of the first-sharp diffraction peak observed in neutron and X-ray scattering measurements of ionic liquids. The rate of change of the QES intensity in the supercooled liquid range is compared with data of excess entropy, free volume, and mean-squared displacement recently reported for ionic liquids. The temperature dependence of the QES intensity in ionic liquids illustrates relationships between short-time dynamics and long-time structural relaxation that have been proposed for glass-forming liquids.     

离子液中溶剂化电子的结构及其演化动力学

本文综述了离子型液体介质中过剩电子的结构、存在状态及其时间演化动力学特征。基于从头算分子动力学模拟及计算结果,重点阐述了咪唑型、吡啶型、碱金属离子型熔盐氯化物离子液中与过剩电子溶剂化密切相关的溶剂化能量学、结构特征、可能的存在状态以及态-态转化稳态动力学机制,分析了此类离子型介质中电子高效传导的内在本质及离子液组成离子的重要作用。阳离子的最低未占轨道组成的导带结构是离子液中过剩电子的溶剂化态及其稳定性的决定因素,任何能影响或改变其导带结构的因素均能显著影响过剩电子溶剂化。但快速的态-态转化及电子迁移并不明显取决于其组成离子扩散动力学,而是敏感地受离子液涨落所控制。这种基于溶剂化电子的迁移模式构成了此类离子型介质甚至其它液态介质中电子转移的新途径。     

A model for self-diffusion of guanidinium-based ionic liquids: a molecular simulation study

We propose a novel self-diffusion model for ionic liquids on an atomic level of detail. The model is derived from molecular dynamics simulations of guanidinium-based ionic liquids (GILs) as a model case. The simulations are based on an empirical molecular mechanical force field, which has been developed in our preceding work, and it relies on the charge distribution in the actual liquid. The simulated GILs consist of acyclic and cyclic cations that were paired with nitrate and perchlorate anions. Self-diffusion coefficients are calculated at different temperatures from which diffusive activation energies between 32-40 kJ/mol are derived. Vaporization enthalpies between 174-212 kJ/mol are calculated, and their strong connection with diffusive activation energies is demonstrated. An observed formation of cavities in GILs of up to 6.5% of the total volume does not facilitate self-diffusion. Instead, the diffusion of ions is found to be determined primarily by interactions with their immediate environment via electrostatic attraction between cation hydrogen and anion oxygen atoms. The calculated average time between single diffusive transitions varies between 58-107 ps and determines the speed of diffusion, in contrast to diffusive displacement distances, which were found to be similar in all simulated GILs. All simulations indicate that ions diffuse by using a brachiation type of movement: a diffusive transition is initiated by cleaving close contacts to a coordinated counterion, after which the ion diffuses only about 2 A until new close contacts are formed with another counterion in its vicinity. The proposed diffusion model links all calculated energetic and dynamic properties of GILs consistently and explains their molecular origin. The validity of the model is confirmed by providing an explanation for the variation of measured ratios of self-diffusion coefficients of cations and paired anions over a wide range of values, encompassing various ionic liquid classes as well as the simulated GILs. The proposed diffusion model facilitates the qualitative a priori prediction of the impact of ion modifications on the diffusive characteristics of new ionic liquids.     

咪唑基离子液体固定分离CO2的研究进展

以咪唑基离子液体为代表,综述了近期普通咪唑基离子液体、功能咪唑基离子液体、支撑咪唑基离子液体和聚合咪唑基离子液体在分离固定CO2方面的研究进展,说明了各类咪唑基离子液体分离固定CO2的可行性及优缺点,并总结了离子液体固定CO2的影响因素和分离机制.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of ionic liquid-vapour interfaces: effect of cation symmetry on structure at the interface

The influence of alkyl chain symmetry of the imidazolium cation on the structure and properties of the ionic liquid-vapour interface has been addressed through molecular dynamics simulations. The anion chosen is bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (NTf(2)). Profiles of number densities, orientation of cations, charge density, electrostatic potential, and surface tension have been obtained. At the interface, both cations and anions were present, and the alkyl chains of the former preferred to orient out into the vapour phase. A large fraction of cations preferred to be oriented with their ring-normal parallel to the surface and alkyl chains perpendicular to it. These orientational preferences are reduced in ionic liquids with symmetric cations. Although the charge densities at the interface were largely negative, an additional small positive charge density has been observed for systems with longer alkyl chains. The electrostatic potential difference developed between the liquid and the vapour phases were positive and decreased with increasing length of the alkyl group. The calculated surface tension of the liquids also decreased with increasing alkyl chain length, in agreement with experiment. The surface tension of an ionic liquid with symmetric cation was marginally higher than that of one with an asymmetric, isomeric cation.     

Tail aggregation and domain diffusion in ionic liquids

An extended multiscale coarse-graining model for ionic liquids is used to investigate the liquid crystal-like phase in certain ionic liquids. The tail groups of the cations with a sufficient side-chain length are found to aggregate, forming spatially heterogeneous domains, due to the competition between the electrostatic interactions between the charged head groups and the anions and the collective short-range interactions between the neutral tail groups. With a sufficiently long alkyl chain at a low enough temperature, the tail domains remain relatively stable, despite the diffusion of individual ions in the liquid phase. With increasing temperature, the average tail domains begin to diffuse, while beyond a transition temperature, their average density has an almost uniform distribution, although the tail groups still form instantaneous domains.     

Intermolecular interactions and dynamics of room temperature ionic liquids that have silyl- and siloxy-substituted imidazolium cations

The intermolecular interactions and dynamics of novel ionic liquids with alkylsilyl and alkylsiloxy substitutions on the cations are studied by measuring the intermolecular vibrational spectra and reorientational dynamics using femtosecond Kerr effect methods. The new ionic liquids include 1-dimethylphenylsilylmethyl-3-methylimidazolium (PhSi-mim+), and 1-methyl-3-pentamethyldisiloxymethylimidazolium (SiOSi-mim+) cations paired with the bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (NTf(2)-) anion. Measured ionic liquid viscosities are surprisingly low for such bulky cation substituents. DFT electronic structure calculations on the isolated ions provide additional information about the electrostatic interactions.     

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.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of the structure and transport properties of tetra-butylphosphonium amino acid ionic liquids

Systematic molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the structure, dynamics and transport properties of the ionic liquids composed of the tetra-butylphosphonium ([TBP](+), or [P(C(4)H(9))(4)](+)) cation with six amino acid ([AA](-)) anions. The structural features of these ionic liquids were characterized by calculating the partial site-site radial distribution functions, g(r), and computing the dihedral angle distribution of n-butyl side chains in the [TBP](+) cations. The dynamics of the ionic liquids are described by studying the velocity autocorrelation function (VACF) and the mean-square displacement (MSD) for the centers of mass of the ions at different temperatures. The ionic diffusion coefficients and the electrical conductivities were evaluated from both the Einstein and Green-Kubo methods. The cross-correlation terms in the electric-current autocorrelation functions, which are an indication of the ion pair correlations, are investigated. The cationic transference numbers were also estimated to study the contributions of the anions and cations to the transport of charge in these ionic liquids. We determined the role of the amino acid anion structures on the dynamical behavior and the transport coefficients of this family of ionic liquids. In general, the MSD and self-diffusion coefficients of the relatively heavier non-planar [TBP](+) cations are smaller than those of the lighter amino acid anions. Introducing polar functional groups (acid or amide) in the side chain of [AA](-) decreases the diffusion coefficient and electrical conductivity of AAILs. The major factors for determining the magnitude of the transport coefficients are the chemical functionality and the length of the alkyl side chain of the [AA](-) anion of these [TBP][AA] ionic liquids.     

Mass Distribution and Diffusion of [1‐Butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium][Y] Ionic Liquids Adsorbed on the Graphite Surface at 300–800 K

The structure and diffusion behavior of 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium ([bmim]⁺) ionic liquids with [Cl]^?, [PF₆]^?, and [Tf₂N]^? counterions near a hydrophobic graphite surface are investigated by molecular dynamics simulation over the temperature range of 300–800 K. Near the graphite surface the structure of the ionic liquid differs from that in the bulk and it forms a well‐ordered region extending over 30 Å from the surface. The bottom layer of the ionic liquid is stable over the investigated temperature range due to the inherent slow dynamics of the ionic liquid and the strong Coulombic interactions between cation and anion. In the bottom layer, diffusion is strongly anisotropic and predominantly occurs along the graphite surface. Diffusion perpendicular to the interface (interfacial mass transfer rate k_t) is very slow due to strong ion–substrate interaction. The diffusion behaviors of the three ionic liquids in the two directions all follow an Arrhenius relation, and the activation barrier increases with decreasing anion size. Such an Arrhenius relation is applied to surface‐adsorbed ionic liquids for the first time. The ion size and the surface electrical charge density of the anions are the major factors determining the diffusion behavior of the ionic liquid adjacent to the graphite surface.     

Aqueous Solutions of Ionic Liquids: Microscopic Assembly

Aqueous solutions of ionic liquids are of special interest, due to the distinctive properties of ionic liquids, in particular, their amphiphilic character. A better understanding of the structure–property relationships of such systems is hence desirable. One of the crucial molecular‐level interactions that influences the macroscopic behavior is hydrogen bonding. In this work, we conduct molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the effects of ionic liquids on the hydrogen‐bond network of water in dilute aqueous solutions of ionic liquids with various combinations of cations and anions. Calculations are performed for imidazolium‐based cations with alkyl chains of different lengths and for a variety of anions, namely, [Br]^?, [NO₃]^?, [SCN]^?, [BF₄]^?, [PF₆]^?, and [Tf₂N]^?. The structure of water and the water–ionic liquid interactions involved in the formation of a heterogeneous network are analyzed by using radial distribution functions and hydrogen‐bond statistics. To this end, we employ the geometric criterion of the hydrogen‐bond definition and it is shown that the structure of water is sensitive to the amount of ionic liquid and to the anion type. In particular, [SCN]^? and [Tf₂N]^? were found to be the most hydrophilic and hydrophobic anions, respectively. Conversely, the cation chain length did not influence the results.     

Probing the neutral graphene-ionic liquid interface: insights from molecular dynamics simulations

We study basic mechanisms of the interfacial layer formation at the neutral graphite monolayer (graphene)-ionic liquid (1,3-dimethylimidazolium chloride, [dmim][Cl]) interface by fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. We probe the interface area by a spherical probe varying the charge (-1e, 0, +1e) as well as the size of the probe (diameter 0.50 nm and 0.38 nm). The molecular modelling results suggest that: there is a significant enrichment of ionic liquid cations at the surface. This cationic layer attracts Cl(-) anions that leads to the formation of several distinct ionic liquid layers at the surface. There is strong asymmetry in cationic/anionic probe interactions with the graphene wall due to the preferential adsorption of the ionic liquid cations at the graphene surface. The high density of ionic liquid cations at the interface adds an additional high energy barrier for the cationic probe to come to the wall compared to the anionic probe. Qualitatively the results from probes with diameter 0.50 nm and 0.38 nm are similar although the smaller probe can approach closer to the wall. We discuss the simulation results in light of available experimental data on the interfacial structure in ionic liquids.