Simulations of ionic liquids, solutions, and surfaces

Solid-liquid interfaces of ionic liquid solutions--Interfacial layering and bulk correlations

The influence of the polar, aprotic solvent propylene carbonate on the interfacial structure of the ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate on sapphire was investigated by high-energy x-ray reflectivity. Experiments at solvent concentrations between 17 mol. % and 83 mol. % bridge the gap between diluted electrolytes described by the classical Gouy-Chapman theory and pure ionic liquids. Analysis of our experimental data revealed interfacial profiles comprised of alternating anion and cation enriched regions decaying gradually into the bulk liquid. With increasing solvent concentration, we observed a decrease in correlation length of the interfacial layering structure. At high ion concentrations, solvent molecules were found to accumulate laterally within the layers. By separating like-charged ions, they reduce their Coulomb repulsion. The results are compared with the bulk structure of IL/solvent blends probed by x-ray scattering and predictions from fundamental fluid theory.

Structure and Dynamics of Ionic Liquids Confined in Amorphous Porous Chalcogenides

Besides the abundant literature on ionic liquids in porous silica and carbon, the confinement of such intriguing liquids in porous chalcogenides has received very little attention. Here, molecular simulation is employed to study the structural and dynamical properties of a typical ionic liquid confined in a realistic molecular model of amorphous chalcogenide with various pore sizes and surface chemistries. Using molecular dynamics in the isobaric-isothermal (NPT) ensemble, we consider confinement conditions relevant to real samples. Both the structure and self-dynamics of the confined phase are found to depend on the surface-to-volume ratio of the host confining material. Consequently, most properties of the confined ionic liquid can be written as a linear combination of surface and bulk-like contributions, arising from the ions in contact with the surface and the ions in the pore center, respectively. On the other hand, collective dynamical properties such as the ionic conductivity remain close to their bulk counterpart and almost insensitive to pore size and surface chemistry. These results, which are in fair agreement with available experimental data, provide a basis for the development of novel applications using hybrid organic-inorganic solids consisting of ionic liquids confined in porous chalcogenides.

Creating nanoparticle stability in ionic liquid [C4mim][BF4] by inducing solvation layering

The critical role of solvation forces in dispersing and stabilizing nanoparticles and colloids in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [C4mim][BF4] is demonstrated. Stable silica nanoparticle suspensions over 60 wt % solids are achieved by particle surface chemical functionalization with a fluorinated alcohol. A combination of techniques including rheology, dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and small angle neutron scattering (SANS) are employed to determine the mechanism of colloidal stability. Solvation layers of ∼5 nm at room temperature are measured by multiple techniques and are thought to be initiated by hydrogen bonds between the anion [BF4](-) and the fluorinated group on the surface coating. Inducing structured solvation layering at particle surfaces through hydrogen bonding is demonstrated as a method to stabilize particles in ionic liquids.

Computational approaches to understanding reaction outcomes of organic processes in ionic liquids

The utility of using a combined experimental and computational approach for understanding ionic liquid media, and their effect on reaction outcome, is highlighted through a number of case studies.

Liquid/liquid interface layering of 1-butanol and [bmim]PF6 ionic liquid: a nonlinear vibrational spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulation study

IV-SFG vibrational spectroscopy and MD simulation studies reveal a local polar/nonpolar layering structure at the interface of 1-butanol-d₉ and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([bmim]PF₆).

Molecular features contributing to the lower viscosity of phosphonium ionic liquids compared to their ammonium analogues

Classical molecular dynamics simulations identify the size of the central atom and the angle flexibility as important molecular features contributing to the lower viscosity of phosphonium based ionic liquids compared to their ammonium analogues.

Simulations of room temperature ionic liquids: from polarizable to coarse-grained force fields

This perspective article summarizes the recent advances in the classical molecular modelling of room temperature ionic liquids.

Solvent effects of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate: solvation and dynamic behavior of polar and apolar solutes

We study the solvation properties of the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([eMIM]⁺[ACE]⁻) and the resulting dynamic behavior for differently charged model solutes at room temperature via atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of 500 ns length.

Solid-ionic liquid interfaces: pore filling revisited

The properties of ionic liquids on ordered and non-ordered mesoporous silicas (silica gel, MCM-41, SBA-15) were studied by nitrogen sorption, mercury intrusion and thermogravimetric analyses, as well as (129)Xe-NMR spectroscopy. The ionic liquids investigated are based on the 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium cation, which was combined with anions of low (bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide; [NTf2](-)), medium (trifluoromethylsulfonate; [CF3SO3](-)) to high (acetate; [OAc](-)) basicity. The surface coverage depends on both the type of ionic liquid and support used. This results not only in layer or droplet formation, but also in different physico-chemical properties of the ionic liquid when compared to the bulk, depending mainly on the strength of interaction at the interface. Furthermore, the mercury intrusion analysis of mesopores is shown not to be suitable for supported ionic liquids.

Simulating chemical reactions in ionic liquids using QM/MM methodology

The use of ionic liquids as a reaction medium for chemical reactions has dramatically increased in recent years due in large part to the numerous reported advances in catalysis and organic synthesis. In some extreme cases, ionic liquids have been shown to induce mechanistic changes relative to conventional solvents. Despite the large interest in the solvents, a clear understanding of the molecular factors behind their chemical impact is largely unknown. This feature article reviews our efforts developing and applying mixed quantum and molecular mechanical (QM/MM) methodology to elucidate the microscopic details of how these solvents operate to enhance rates and alter mechanisms for industrially and academically important reactions, e.g., Diels-Alder, Kemp eliminations, nucleophilic aromatic substitutions, and β-eliminations. Explicit solvent representation provided the medium dependence of the activation barriers and atomic-level characterization of the solute-solvent interactions responsible for the experimentally observed "ionic liquid effects". Technical advances are also discussed, including a linear-scaling pairwise electrostatic interaction alternative to Ewald sums, an efficient polynomial fitting method for modeling proton transfers, and the development of a custom ionic liquid OPLS-AA force field.

Effect of cation symmetry on the organization of ionic liquids near a charged mica surface

Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations have been carried out to understand the effect of the symmetry of cations on the microscopic organization of ionic liquids near a charged mica surface. Ionic liquids with a 1,3-alkylimidazolium ([C(n)C(m)im](+)) cation and a bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([NTf2](-)) anion were investigated. Apart from symmetry, the length of the alkyl group attached to the cation is found to crucially determine the ion structure near the solid surface. In the first adsorbed layer, the ring planes of cations with shorter alkyl groups (less than four carbon atoms) are oriented either parallel or perpendicular to the surface. However, cations with longer alkyl tails are exclusively observed to have their ring planes parallel to the mica surface. The alkyl groups too show a similar dependence of their orientation on the tail length. Further, symmetric cations with alkyl groups of intermediate length are more highly structured at the interface than their asymmetric counterparts.

Particle self-assembly at ionic liquid-based interfaces

This review presents an overview of the nature of ionic liquid (IL)-based interfaces and self-assembled particle morphologies of IL-in-water, oil- and water-in-IL, and novel IL-in-IL Pickering emulsions with emphasis on their unique phenomena, by means of experimental and computational studies. In IL-in-water Pickering emulsions, particles formed monolayers at ionic liquid-water interfaces and were close-packed on fully covered emulsion droplets or aggregated on partially covered droplets. Interestingly, other than equilibrating at the ionic liquid-water interfaces, microparticles with certain surface chemistries were extracted into the ionic liquid phase with a high efficiency. These experimental findings were supported by potential of mean force calculations, which showed large energy drops as hydrophobic particles crossed the interface into the IL phase. In the oil- and water-in-IL Pickering emulsions, microparticles with acidic surface chemistries formed monolayer bridges between the internal phase droplets rather than residing at the oil/water-ionic liquid interfaces, a significant deviation from traditional Pickering emulsion morphology. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed aspects of the mechanism behind this bridging phenomenon, including the role of the droplet phase, surface chemistry, and inter-particle film. Novel IL-in-IL Pickering emulsions exhibited an array of self-assembled morphologies including the previously observed particle absorption and bridging phenomena. The appearance of these morphologies depended on the particle surface chemistry as well as the ILs used. The incorporation of particle self-assembly with ionic liquid science allows for new applications at the intersection of these two fields, and have the potential to be numerous due to the tunability of the ionic liquids and particles incorporated, as well as the particle morphology by combining certain groups of particle surface chemistry, IL type (protic or aprotic), and whether oil or water is incorporated.

The electrical double layer at the ionic liquid/Au and Pt electrode interface

The role of the electrode material on the interfacial double layer structure of a series of ionic liquids comprising 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (C₄MIM][PF₆]), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([C₄MIM][Tf₂N]) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([C₄MIM][BF₄]) was investigated on gold (Au) and platinum (Pt) electrodes.

Structure and dynamics of nonionic surfactants adsorbed at vacuum/ionic liquid interfaces

Structural and dynamical properties related to the adsorption of nonionic surfactants at vacuum/ionic liquid interfaces were studied using molecular dynamics simulations. Specifically, the surface activity of pentaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C12E5) was investigated at the free interface of an imidazolium-based room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL), at different surface densities. At low surface coverages, the incorporation of C12E5 does not produce meaningful changes in the vacuum/RTIL interface: the C12E5 hydrophobic tails remain entangled with those of the RTIL cation groups in the outer shell, whereas the C12E5 hydrophilic heads reside at an inner layer. At high surface coverages, the structure in the substrate-in terms of the features exhibited by the local density profiles-practically vanishes; the interface becomes wider and the surfactant molecules shift toward more external positions. Information about the local structure of the interface at high surface densities can be recovered by performing a tessellation procedure. For the sake of comparison, the surface behavior of two commonly used ionic surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulfate and dodecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride, were also studied. The modifications in the width and structure of the bare vacuum/RTIL interface due to the presence of the ionic surfactants are markedly milder than those observed for the nonionic surfactant. Moreover, the RTIL seemed to behave as a better solvent for the chloride counterions than for sodium ones; which were found to remain bound to the surfactant head groups. An analysis of the dynamics at the surface was also performed. Our results indicate that the presence of increasing amounts of nonionic surfactants leads to a gradual reduction of the mobility of the RTIL species. When ionic surfactants are adsorbed, these retardations are even more severe for the surfactant head groups, where the corresponding diffusion coefficients show reductions of practically 1 order of magnitude.

Simulating Supercapacitors: Can We Model Electrodes As Constant Charge Surfaces?

Supercapacitors based on an ionic liquid electrolyte and graphite or nanoporous carbon electrodes are simulated using molecular dynamics. We compare a simplified electrode model in which a constant, uniform charge is assigned to each carbon atom with a realistic model in which a constant potential is applied between the electrodes (the carbon charges are allowed to fluctuate). We show that the simulations performed with the simplified model do not provide a correct description of the properties of the system. First, the structure of the adsorbed electrolyte is partly modified. Second, dramatic differences are observed for the dynamics of the system during transient regimes. In particular, upon application of a constant applied potential difference, the increase in the temperature, due to the Joule effect, associated with the creation of an electric current across the cell follows Ohm's law, while unphysically high temperatures are rapidly observed when constant charges are assigned to each carbon atom.

Functionalization of Oxide Surfaces through Reaction with 1,3-Dialkylimidazolium Ionic Liquids

Practical applications of ionic liquids (ILs) often involve IL/oxide interfaces, but little is known regarding their interfacial chemistry. The unusual physicochemical properties of ILs, including their exceptionally low vapor pressure, provide access to such interfaces using a surface science approach in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV). We have applied synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopy (SR-PES) to the study of a thin film of the ionic liquid [C6C1Im][Tf2N] prepared in situ in UHV on ordered stoichiometric CeO2(111) and partially reduced CeO2-x. On the partially reduced surface, we mostly observe decomposition of the anion. On the stoichiometric CeO2(111) surface, however, a layer of surface-anchored organic products with high thermal stability is formed upon reaction of the cation. The suggested acid-base reaction pathway may provide well-defined functionalized IL/solid interfaces on basic oxides.

Bromide complexation by the Eu(III) lanthanide cation in dry and humid ionic liquids: a molecular dynamics PMF study

We report a molecular dynamics study on the EuBr(n)(3-n) complexes (n=0 to 6) formed upon complexation of Br(-) by Eu(3+) in the [BMI][PF(6)], [BMI][Tf(2)N] and [MeBu(3)N][Tf(2)N] ionic liquids (ILs), to compare the effect of the IL anion (PF(6)(-) versus Tf(2)N(-)), the IL cation (BMI(+) versus MeBu(3)N(+)) and the "IL humidity" on their solvation and stability. In "dry" solutions all complexes remain stable and the first coordination shell of Eu(3+) is purely anionic (Br(-) and IL anions), surrounded by IL cations (BMI(+) or MeBu(3)N(+) ions). Long range "onion type" solvation features (up to 20 Å from Eu(3+)), with alternating cation-rich and anion-rich solvent shells, are observed around the different complexes. The comparison of gas phase-optimized structures of EuBr(n)(3-n) complexes (that are unstable for n=5 and 6) with those observed in solution points to the importance of solvation forces on the nature of the complex, with a higher stabilization by imidazolium- than by ammonium-based dry ILs. Adding water to the IL has different effects, depending on the IL. In the highly hygroscopic [BMI][PF(6)] IL, Br(-) ligands are displaced by water, to finally form Eu(H(2)O)(9)(3+). In the less "humid" [BMI][Tf(2)N], the EuBr(n)(3-n) complexes do not dissociate and coordinate at most 1-2 H(2)O molecules. We also calculated the free-energy profiles (Potential of Mean Force calculations) for the stepwise complexation of Br(-), and found significant solvent effects. EuBr(6)(3-) is predicted to form in both [BMI][PF(6)] and [BMI][Tf(2)N], but not in [MeBu(3)N][Tf(2)N], mainly due to weaker interactions with the cationic solvation shell. First steps are found to be more exergonic in the PF(6)(-)- than in the Tf(2)N(-)-based IL. Molecular dynamics (MD) comparisons between ILs and classical solvents (acetonitrile and water) are also reported, affording good agreement with the experimental observations of Br(-) complexation by trivalent lanthanides in these classical solvents.

Ionic liquids studied across different scales: a computational perspective

For theoreticians, ionic liquids represent a major challenge. This is due to the fact that intermolecular interactions are particularly strong because of ionic liquids' ionicity. This, in turn, causes a subtle interplay between different scales which is encoded in the measured macro- and mesoscopic properties and also in the molecular electrostatic characteristics. Therefore, force fields have to describe the microscopic processes correctly in order to reproduce macroscopic properties accurately over a large range of state variables. Herein, imidazolium-based ionic liquids were studied at different scales, going from the detailed quantum electronic scale to the classical atomistic scale. It is indicated how the information gained at each level could be used for the other scales. In particular, the issue of deriving suitable partial charges for use in classical force fields is addressed. The Blöchl method was employed to generate partial charges reproducing the multipole distribution accurately for bulk systems. This led naturally to absolute ionic charges of less than /l e/, i.e., charge scaling. So, the monopole structure of the herein introduced force field mimics the quantum chemical behaviour observed in the liquid phase. This led to a substantial improvement in the description of dynamical properties of immediate experimental interest, such as electric conductivity. For further insight, the electric dipole moment of the ions was taken as physical indicator of their electronic structure. The electric dipole moment was found to fluctuate strongly and to depend on polarisation. Hence, our scale-combined study offers a gateway to rational design of models, based on the relevant underlying physics rather than on mere numerical parameterisation, and thereby to (possibly) more direct physical interpretation of experimental results.

Observation of Charge Inversion of an Ionic Liquid at the Solid Salt-Liquid Interface by Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy

Sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy of the ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide [BMIM][DCA], in contact with two different solid salt surfaces, BaF2(111) single crystal and solid NaCl{100}, are discussed in this Letter. This investigation describes the nature of an ionic liquid-(solid) salt interface using SFG, contributing a new understanding to the molecular-level interactions involved in salts, which are conceptually similar compounds (of purely ionic character) but of different physical properties (liquid versus solid at room temperature). Results show the presence of [BMIM](+) at the NaCl{100} surface and [DCA](-) at the BaF2(111) surface. [BMIM](+) cations adhere closely via Coulombic interactions to the negatively charged NaCl{100} surface, while [DCA](-) anions subsequently have a strong electrostatic affinity to the positively charged BaF2(111) surface. Ions of the ionic liquid adsorb to the solid salt surface to form a Helmholtz-like electric double layer.

Influence of the ionic liquid/gas surface on ionic liquid chemistry

Applications such as gas storage, gas separation, NP synthesis and supported ionic liquid phase catalysis depend upon the interaction of different species with the ionic liquid/gas surface. Consequently, these applications cannot proceed to the full extent of their potential without a profound understanding of the surface structure and properties. As a whole, this perspective contains more questions than answers, which demonstrates the current state of the field. Throughout this perspective, crucial questions are posed and a roadmap is proposed to answer these questions. A critical analysis is made of the field of ionic liquid/gas surface structure and properties, and a number of design rules are mined. The effects of ionic additives on the ionic liquid/gas surface structure are presented. A possible driving force for surface formation is discussed that has, to the best of my knowledge, not been postulated in the literature to date. This driving force suggests that for systems composed solely of ions, the rules for surface formation of dilute electrolytes do not apply. The interaction of neutral additives with the ionic liquid/gas surface is discussed. Particular attention is focussed upon H(2)O and CO(2), vital additives for many applications of ionic liquids. Correlations between ionic liquid/gas surface structure and properties, ionic liquid surfaces plus additives, and ionic liquid applications are given.