Aggregation and micelle formation of ionic liquids in aqueous solution

Association of ionic liquids possessing n-octyl moiety either in the cation or in the anion has been studied in aqueous solution with conductivity and turbidity measurements as well as using 2-hydroxy-substituted Nile Red solvatochromic probe. 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium octyl sulfate was found to act as a surfactant above 0.031 M critical micelle concentration. In contrast, 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium chloride produced inhomogeneous solution of larger aggregates, which were dissolved on the addition of more than 2:1 molar excess of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) due to mixed micelle formation. Even small amount (<10 mM) of ionic liquids could markedly reduce the polarity of the Stern layer of SDS micelle.     

Surface adsorption and micelle formation of surface active ionic liquids in aqueous solution

Aqueous solutions of three kinds of surface active ionic liquids composed of the 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium cation have been investigated by means of surface tension and electrical conductivity measurements at room temperature (298 K). The surface tension measurements provided a series of parameters, including critical micelle concentration (cmc), surface tension at the cmc (gammacmc), adsorption efficiency (pC20), and effectiveness of surface tension reduction (Picmc). In addition, with application of the Gibbs adsorption isotherm, maximum surface excess concentration (Gammamax) and minimum surface area/molecule (Amin) at the air-water interface were estimated. The effect of sodium halides, NaCl, NaBr, and NaI, on the surface activity was also investigated. It was found that both the pC20 and the Picmc were rather larger than those reported for traditional ionic surfactants and the cmc values were somewhat lower than those for typical cationic surfactants, alkyltrimethylammonium bromides, and comparable to typical anionic surfactants, sodium alkyl sulfates. These results demonstrate that the surface activity of long-chained imidazolium IL is somewhat superior to that of conventional ionic surfactants.     

Aggregation behavior of long-chain imidazolium ionic liquids in ethylammonium nitrate

The aggregation behavior of long-chain imidazolium ionic liquids, 1-alkyl-3-methyl-imidazolium bromide (C_nmimBr, n?=?12, 14, 16) was studied by surface tension measurements in a room temperature ionic liquid, ethylammonium nitrate (EAN), at various temperatures. A series of parameters including critical micelle concentration (cmc), surface tension at the cmc (γ _cmc), and the effectiveness of surface tension reduction (Π_cmc) were obtained. In addition, from the cmc values and their temperature dependence, we estimated the thermodynamic parameters of the micelle formation, $ \Delta G_{\rm{m}}^0 $ , $ \Delta H_{\rm{m}}^0 $ , and $ \Delta S_{\rm{m}}^0 $ . The contribution of enthalpy term to the micelle formation is superior to that of entropy term. ¹H NMR was performed to study the C_nmimBr micelle formation mechanism in EAN.     

Wetting study of imidazolium ionic liquids

In this work, we present a systematic contact angles study of a series of 1-alkyl, 3-methyl-imidazolium ionic liquids (ILs) on well-defined polar and nonpolar monolayer surfaces supported on Si wafers. The advancing and receding contact angles of ILs were used to determine the surface energy of the monolayer surfaces using Neumann's equation-of-state and Zisman's critical surface tension approaches. In parallel, the contact angles of conventional probe fluids (molecular liquids) including water, formamide, methylene iodide, ethylene glycol, and hexadecane were determined on the same surfaces. The results obtained showed a great deal of similarity in wetting behavior of ionic vs molecular probe fluids: the contact angles of both sets of liquids followed the same patterns in accord with the surface tension of the fluid. A good agreement was found between the surface energy determined by different sets of liquids.     

Self-aggregation and antimicrobial activity of imidazolium and pyridinium based ionic liquids in aqueous solution

Adsorbed cetyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride (CDBACl) or cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) on mercury is used as template for the adsorption of CTAB, CDBACl, or their equimolar mixture at 20 °C. Adsorptive stripping voltammetry with the two step procedure is used. The results are compared with previously published results on the adsorption of CTAB and CDBACl on mercury and then transferred in base electrolyte. A surfactant is preadsorbed. The adsorption of the second does not remove away from the mercury the first one, as evidenced by the capacitance measurements and the repeated scans. The surfactants were maintained close to each other and in the vicinity of the electrode by the applied electric field. In all cases studied, there was a decrease in the capacitance in the potential range -0.8 to -1 V to very low capacitance values forming condensed film. Mixed films and synergy effects were observed. The already adsorbed CTAB on mercury did not permit the desorption-reorientation peaks of CDBACl. Shifts of the capacitance peaks were observed to more positive potentials and were attributed to the occurrence of a slow change in the organization of the monolayer. The electrical state of the preadsorbed surfactant would be of critical importance in the formation of the various structures. The results suggested that the ordering and arrangement of molecules could be controlled by appropriate selection of templates.     

Cation-anion-water interactions in aqueous mixtures of imidazolium based ionic liquids

We have examined the cation-anion-water interactions in aqueous mixtures of imidazolium ionic liquids (ILs) over the whole composition range using FTIR spectroscopy. Changes in the peak positions or band areas of OH vibrational modes of water and CH vibrational modes of imidazolium cation as a function of IL concentration indicated a diminishing trend in hydrogen-bonding network of water and qualitative changes in solution structures. ¹H NMR chemical shifts of C(2)H, HC(4)C(5)H and alkyl chain protons of imidazolium cation provided useful information about the comparative strength of cation-anion-water interactions.     

Aggregation behavior of long-chain N-aryl imidazolium bromide in aqueous solution

The aggregation behavior of three long-chain N-aryl imidazolium ionic liquids (ILs), 1-(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)-3-alkylimidazolium bromide [C(n)pim]Br (n = 10, 12, and 14), in aqueous solutions was systematically explored by surface tension, electrical conductivity, and (1)H NMR. A lower critical micelle concentration (cmc) for the N-aryl imidazolium ILs is observed compared with that for 1,3-dialkylimidazolium ILs [C(n)mim]Br, indicating that the incorporation of the 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl group into a headgroup favors micellization. The enhanced π-π interactions among the adjacent 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl groups weaken the steric hindrance of headgroups and thus lead to a dense arrangement of [C(n)pim]Br molecules at the air-water interface. An analysis of the (1)H NMR spectra revealed that the introduced 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl group may slightly bend into the hydrophobic regions upon micellization. The micelle formation process for [C(n)pim]Br (n = 10, 12, and 14) was found to be enthalpy-driven in the investigated temperature range, which is attributed to the strong electrostatic self-repulsion of the headgroups and the counterions as well as the π-π interactions among headgroups. Strong, stable fluorescence properties are presented by the new N-aryl imidazolium ILs, indicating their potential application in the field of photochemistry.     

Temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity of imidazolium ionic liquids

The electrical conductivities of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquids and of 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium ionic liquids with different anions were determined in the temperature range between 123 and 393 K on the basis of dielectric measurements in the frequency range from 1 to 10(7) Hz. Most of the ionic liquids form a glass and the conductivity values obey the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann equation. The glass transition temperatures are increasing with increasing length of the alkyl chain. The fragility is weakly dependent on the alkyl chain length but is highly sensitive to the structure of the anion.     

Surfactant solvation effects and micelle formation in ionic liquids

The formation of micelles in 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium chloride (BMIM-Cl) and hexafluorophosphate (BMIM-PF6) were explored using different surfactants and the solvation behavior of the new micellar-ionic liquid solutions examined using inverse gas chromatography.     

Thermodynamics of dilute aqueous solutions of imidazolium based ionic liquids

Experimental measurements of density ρ, speed of sound u, and viscosity η of aqueous solutions of various 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium based ionic liquid (IL) solutions have been performed in dilute concentration regime at 298.15 K to get insight into hydration behaviour of ILs. The investigated ILs are based on 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium cation, [C_nmim] having $[{\text{BF}}_4{]}^{-}$, [Cl]^?, $[{\text{C}}_1{\text{OSO}}_3{]}^{-}$, and $[{\text{C}}_8{\text{OSO}}_3{]}^{-}$ as anions where n = 4 or 8. Several thermodynamic parameters like apparent molar volume φ_V, isentropic compressibility β_s, and viscosity B-coefficients have been derived from experimental data. Limiting value of apparent molar volume has been discussed in terms of intrinsic molar volume (V_int) molar electrostriction volume (V_elec), molar disordered (V_dis), and cage volume (V_cage). Viscosity B-coefficients have been used to quantify the kosmotropic or chaotropic nature of ILs. Hydration number of ILs obtained using elctrostriction volume, isentropic compressibility, viscosity, and differential scanning calorimetry have been found to be comparative within the experimental error. The hydrophobic hydration has found to play an important role in hydration of ILs as compared to hydration due to hydrogen bonding and electrostriction. Limiting molar properties, hydration numbers, and B-coefficients have been discussed in terms of alkyl chain length of cation or nature of anion.     

Microwave-assisted separation of ionic liquids from aqueous solution of ionic liquids

Microwave-assisted separation has been applied to recover ionic liquid (IL) from its aqueous solution as an efficient method with respect to time and energy compared to the conventional vacuum distillation. Hydrophilic ILs such as 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([Bmim][BF(4)]), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate ([Bmim][TfO]) and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium methylsulfate ([Emim][MS]) could be recovered in 6 min from the mixture of ILs and water (1:1, w/w) under microwave irradiation at constant power of 10 W while it took at least 240 min to obtain ILs containing same water content (less than 0.5 wt%) by conventional vacuum oven at 363.15 K with 90 kPa of vacuum pressure. Energy consumptions per gram of evaporated water from the homogeneous mixture of hydrophilic ILs and water (1:1, w/w) by microwave-assisted separation were at least 52 times more efficient than those in conventional vacuum oven. It demonstrated that microwave-assisted separation could be used for complete recovery of ILs in sense of time and energy as well as relevant purity.     

Photo-degradation of imidazolium ionic liquids

Degradation of imidazolium ionic liquid, [bmim⁺][TFSA⁻] and iodide solution of [bmim⁺][TFSA⁻] by UV-laser irradiation has been studied through ground-state absorption and transient absorption spectroscopy. We found that excited state [bmim⁺]* undergoes degradation efficiently.     

Solid-phase extraction of room-temperature imidazolium ionic liquids from aqueous environmental samples

Owing to their favorable properties, ionic liquids have recently gained recognition as possibly environmentally benign solvents. Now among the most promising industrial chemicals, they have already been labeled green, but this appellation seems due entirely to their very low vapor pressure. This growing interest in the various applications of ionic liquids will soon result in their presence in the environment. Therefore, reliable analytical tools for the environmental analysis of ionic liquids need to be developed urgently. This paper presents a newly developed analytical procedure for the enrichment of 1-alkyl- and 1-aryl-3-methylimidazolium ionic liquids from water samples. The method is based on cation exchange solid-phase extraction followed by selective elution. Pre-concentrated samples are subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with an advanced methodology for qualitative and quantitative analysis. The overall procedure was verified by using standard spiked samples of tap water, seawater, and freshwater.     

Hydrogen bonds in imidazolium ionic liquids

It is critically important to understand the structural properties of ionic liquids. In this work, the structures of cations, anions, and cation-anion ion-pairs of 1,3-dialkylimidazolium based ionic liquids were optimized systematically at the B3LYP/6-31+G level of DFT theory, and their most stable geometries were obtained. It was found that there exist only one-hydrogen-bonded ion-pairs in single-atomic anion ionic liquids such as [emim]Cl and [emim]Br, while one- and two-hydrogen-bonded ion-pairs in multiple atomic anion ionic liquids such as [emim]BF(4) and [emim]PF(6) exist. Further studies showed that the cations and anions connect each other to form a hydrogen-bonded network in 1,3-dialkylimidazolium halides, which has been proven by experimental measurement. Furthermore, the correlation of melting points and the interaction energies was discussed for both the single atomic anion and multiple atomic anion ionic liquids.     

Grignard reactions in imidazolium ionic liquids

A new, base-stable, imidazolium room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) has been prepared and applied to the addition of Grignard reagents to carbonyl compounds. These reactions occur readily at ambient temperature to afford the alcohol products in good to excellent yield. The RTIL can be recycled and reused numerous times without any difficulty.     

Physico-chemical processes in imidazolium ionic liquids

Among the various properties exhibited by ionic liquids (ILs)--especially those based on the imidazolium cation-their inherent ionic patterns, very low vapour pressure and pronounced self-organization in the solid, liquid and even in the gas phase are particularly interesting since this allows the use of these fluids as alternative and complementary media to classical organic solvents and water in many applications. Hence, reaction paths that involve charge-separated intermediates or transition states are accelerated--by lowering the activation barrier-in the presence of ILs when compared with those performed in classical organic solvents. It is also possible, for example, to observe, by electrochemical methods, transient species (ionic and radical) that are otherwise undetectible in water or in molecular organic solvents and to investigate the interactions and behaviour of molecular, biological and macromolecular species in solution using physical and chemical methods which require special conditions such as high-vacuum, and which have been traditionally limited to solid state chemistry.     

聚醚型表面活性剂水溶液中胶团的生成

属于ABA型嵌段共聚物(A为聚氧乙烯,B为聚氧丙烯)的聚醚型表面活性剂分子在水中是否生成胶团,文献报道的结果迥异,临界胶团浓度值随测定方法不同出入很大.某些AB型或ABA型嵌段共聚物在选择性有机溶剂中表现出异常胶团化行为,但对于水体系迄今未见报道.本文以多种实验手段研究了典型的聚醚型表面活性剂Pluronic L-64水溶液的胶体与表面性质.结果表明,与通常的表面活性剂不同,随着温度或浓度的变化,L-64溶液中生成单分子胶团或者缔合胶团.在两者的转变间,首次观察到了水体系中的异常胶团化现象.     

Dispersion of carbon nanotubes by carbazole-tailed amphiphilic imidazolium ionic liquids in aqueous solutions

Spectrophotometric, kinetic, and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) data for the formation of Ag-nanoparticles using aspartic acid (Asp) as reductant are reported for the first time. In the formation of transparent silver sols, an alkaline medium is required. The silver nanoparticles are spherical, uniform particle size, and strongly depend on the [Asp]. The apparent rate constant decreases with [Asp] (from 4.0 to 24.0×10(-4)moldm(-3), the rate constants decreased from 2.6×10(-4) to 0.3×10(-4)s(-1)). For a certain reaction time, i.e., 30min, the absorbance of the silver sol first increased until it reached a maximum, and then decreased with [Asp]. Kinetic and TEM results indicate that the size of the Ag-nanoparticles depends on the [Asp]. It is proposed that the oxidation of Asp occurs by the adsorbed Ag(+) ions on the surface of Ag(2)O particles.     

Threadlike micelle formation of anionic surfactants in aqueous solution

We have investigated the formation of threadlike micelles consisting of anionic surfactants and certain additives in aqueous solution. Threadlike micelles long enough to be entangled with each other were formed in a clear aqueous solution of two anionic surfactants, sodium hexadecyl sulfate and sodium tetradecyl sulfate. These solutions also contained pentylammonium bromides or p-toluidine halides and exhibited remarkable viscoelasticity. Because the molar ratio of surfactants to cationic additives in these micelles seemed close to unity, they formed 1:1 stoichiometric complexes between surfactant anions and additive cations, as previously found in systems of cationic surfactants such as hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide and sodium salicylate. The viscoelastic behavior of these anionic threadlike micellar systems was adequately described by a simple Maxwell element with a single relaxation time and strength, as in many similar cationic systems.     

Electrical conductivity of cationic polyelectrolytes in aqueous solution

Four different fluoride, chloride, bromide, and nitrate cationic polyelectrolytes were prepared. Their electrolytic conductivity in aqueous dilute solution was investigated. The results show a remarkable increase, with dilution being practically constant down to limiting concentration. The limiting equivalent conductivity Λ° follows the order The distances between neighboring charges calculated from experimental data are in good agreement with those calculated geometrically according to Manning's definition. The results are mainly dependent on the assumption that Br^? and NO₃^? interact in a similar manner with the cationic charges on the polyion. This phenomenon also has been observed in cationic micelles.