Liquid crystalline phases of 1,2-dimethyl-3-hexadecylimidazolium bromide and binary mixtures with water

Transition Mechanism from the Metastable Two-Dimensional Gel to the Stable Three-Dimensional Crystal of Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquids

One important quest for making high quality materials with amphiphiles is to understand how a disordered self-assembly changes to a stable crystalline state. Herein, we addressed the basic question by investigating the phase transition mechanism of imidazolium-based ionic liquid (IL) [C16mim]Br, using time-resolved small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS-WAXS), differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques. Totally, a hexagonal phase, two lamellar-gel phases, and three lamellar-crystalline phases were observed, showing the special polymorphism of the system. It was demonstrated that at low concentrations the two-dimensional gel phase (Lβ1) transforms into the most stable lamellar-crystal phase (Lc3) through two intermediate crystalline phases Lc1 and Lc2. At high concentrations, the Lβ1 phase changes to a condensed lamellar gel phase (Lβ2) before changing to Lc2 and eventually to Lc3. Comparative studies using [C16mim]Cl and [C16mim]NO3 unveiled that the interactions between the counterions and the headgroups of the IL, as well as the dehydration process, govern the nucleation process of Lc3 and thus the formation of the crystal. The in-depth investigation on the transition mechanism and the phase polymorphism in the present work advances our understanding of the crystallization of amphiphilic ionic liquids in dispersions and would promote future applications.

Developing design tools for introducing and tuning structural order in ionic liquids

Ionic liquids – ionic crystals – ionic liquid crystals? Structural order in imidazolium-based ILs, a series of asymmetrical 1-dodecyl-2-methyl-3-alkylimidazolium bromides, [C₁₂C₁C_nim][Br] with n = 0–12.

Substituted Azolium Disposition: Examining the Effects of Alkyl Placement on Thermal Properties

We describe the thermal phase characteristics of a series of 4,5-bis(n-alkyl)azolium salts that were studied using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized-light optical microscopy (POM), and synchrotron-based small- to wide-angle X-ray scattering (SWAXS) measurements. Key results were obtained for 1,3-dimethyl-4,5-bis(n-undecyl)imidazolium iodide (1-11), 1,3-dimethyl-4,5-bis(n-pentadecyl)- imidazolium iodide (1-15), and 1,2,3-trimethyl-4,5-bis(n-pentadecyl)imidazolium iodide (2), which were found to adopt enantiotropic smectic A mesophases. Liquid-crystalline mesophases were not observed for 1,3-dimethyl-4,5-bis(n-heptyl)imidazolium iodide (1-7), 3-methyl-4,5-bis(n-penta-decyl)thiazolium iodide (3), and 2-amino-4,5-bis(n-pentadecyl)imidazolium chloride (4). Installing substituents in the 4- and 5-positions of the imidazolium salts appears to increase melting points while lowering clearing points when compared to data reported for 1,3-disubstituted analogues.

Ionic Liquid Crystals: Versatile Materials

This Review covers the recent developments (2005-2015) in the design, synthesis, characterization, and application of thermotropic ionic liquid crystals. It was designed to give a comprehensive overview of the "state-of-the-art" in the field. The discussion is focused on low molar mass and dendrimeric thermotropic ionic mesogens, as well as selected metal-containing compounds (metallomesogens), but some references to polymeric and/or lyotropic ionic liquid crystals and particularly to ionic liquids will also be provided. Although zwitterionic and mesoionic mesogens are also treated to some extent, emphasis will be directed toward liquid-crystalline materials consisting of organic cations and organic/inorganic anions that are not covalently bound but interact via electrostatic and other noncovalent interactions.