Solvation of “big” spherical solutes in room temperature ionic liquids and at their aqueous interface: A molecular dynamics simulation study

Liquid-Liquid Extraction of the Eu(III) Cation by BTP Ligands into Ionic Liquids: Interfacial Features and Extraction Mechanisms Investigated by MD Simulations

What happens at the ionic-liquid (IL)/water interface when the Eu³⁺ cation is complexed and extracted by bis(dimethyltriazinyl) pyridine "BTP" ligands has been investigated by molecular dynamics and potential of mean force simulations on the interface crossing by key species: neutral BTP, its protonated BTPH⁺ form, Eu³⁺, and the Eu(BTP)₃³⁺ complex. At both the [BMI][Tf₂N]/water and [OMI][Tf₂N]/water interfaces, neither BTP nor Eu(BTP)₃³⁺ are found to adsorb. The distribution of Eu(BTP)₂³⁺ and Eu(BTP)³⁺ precursors of Eu(BTP)₃³⁺, and of their nitrate adducts, implies the occurrence of a stepwise complexation process in the interfacial domain, however. The analysis of the ionic content of the bulk phases and of their interface before and after extraction highlights the role of charge buffering by interfacial IL cations and anions, by different amounts depending on the IL. Comparison of ILs with octanol as the oil phase reveals striking differences regarding the extraction efficiency, the affinity of Eu(BTP)₃³⁺ for the interface, the effects of added nitric acid and of counterions (NO₃^- vs Tf₂N^-), charge neutralization mechanisms, and the extent of "oil" heterogeneity. Extraction into octanol is suggested to proceed via adsorption at the surface of water pools, nanoemulsions, or droplets, with marked counterion effects.

Formation of Aqueous Biphasic Systems with an Ionic Liquid Induced by Metallic Salts: Nanoscopic Views from Molecular Dynamics Simulations

The formation of aqueous biphasic systems (ABSs) based on aqueous ionic liquid (IL)/salt mixtures has been investigated via molecular dynamics simulations (with IL butyl-methyl-imidazolium triflate; salts NaCl, CsCl, SrCl₂, and EuCl₃). The analysis of ion distributions, solvation, and mutual interactions during the dynamics reveals the heterogeneity of all solutions due to ion segregation into mutually exclusive IL and salt domains, even in monophasic solutions ("ionic sociology"). Ion segregation and ABS formation are found to increase with (i) the salt content and (ii) the IL content, (iii) in the order Na⁺ < Sr²⁺ < Eu³⁺, and (iv) when the IL ion "polarity" is diminished, following experimental trends. The structuration of the solution is rationalized as a synergistic water transfer from the best donating ion pair (first hydration shell of hydrophobic moieties of IL ions) to the best accepting pair (M ⁿ⁺ and Cl^- ions, beyond their first shell). In ABSs, the IL- and salt-containing phases are linked by a well-defined "interface" that decreases in width when MCl _n becomes more hydrophilic and/or more concentrated. In the IL-rich phase of ABSs, the hydration of IL ions and their mutual interactions are shown to be similar to those displayed at aqueous interfaces.

Functionalization of Cellulose Nanocrystals in Choline Lactate Ionic Liquid

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are valuable nanomaterials obtained from renewable resources. Their properties make them suitable for a wide range of applications, including polymer reinforcement. However, due to their highly hydrophilic character, it is necessary to modify their surface with non-polar functional groups before their incorporation into a hydrophobic polymer matrix. In this work, cellulose nanocrystals were modified using a silane coupling agent and choline lactate, an ionic liquid derived from renewable resources, as a reaction medium. Modified cellulose nanocrystals were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, showing new peaks associated to the modification performed. X-ray diffraction was used to analyze the crystalline structure of functionalized cellulose nanocrystals and to optimize the amount of silane for functionalization. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanocomposites containing 1 wt % of functionalized cellulose nanocrystals were prepared. They were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and mechanical tests. The use of choline lactate as reaction media has been shown to be an alternative method for the dispersion and silanization of the cellulose nanocrystals without the addition of an external catalyst.

Glucose transformation to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in acidic ionic liquid: A quantum mechanical study

Isomerization and transformation of glucose and fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in both ionic liquids (ILs) and water has been studied by the reference interaction site model self-consistent field spatial electron density distribution (RISM-SCF-SEDD) method coupled with ab initio electronic structure theory, namely coupled cluster single, double, and perturbative triple excitation (CCSD(T)). Glucose isomerization to fructose has been investigated via cyclic and open chain mechanisms. In water, the calculations support the cyclic mechanism of glucose isomerization; with the predicted activation free energy is 23.8 kcal mol(-1) at experimental condition. Conversely, open ring mechanism is more favorable in ILs with the energy barrier is 32.4 kcal mol(-1) . Moreover, the transformation of fructose into HMF via cyclic mechanism is reasonable; the calculated activation barriers are 16.0 and 21.5 kcal mol(-1) in aqueous and ILs solutions, respectively. The solvent effects of ILs could be explained by the decomposition of free energies and radial distribution functions of solute-solvent that are produced by RISM-SCF-SEDD.

Molecular dynamics studies on the adaptability of an ionic liquid in the extraction of solid nanoparticles

Recently, a number of publications have suggested that ionic liquids (ILs) can absorb solid particles. This development may have implications in fields like oil sand processing, oil spill beach cleanup, and water treatment. In this Article, we provide a computational investigation of this phenomenon via molecular dynamics simulations. Two particle surface chemistries were investigated: (1) hydrocarbon-saturated and (2) silanol-saturated, representing hydrophobic and hydrophilic particles, respectively. Employing 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM][PF(6)]) as a model IL, these nanoparticles were allowed to equilibrate at the IL/water and IL/hexane interfaces to observe the interfacial self-assembled structures. At the IL/water interface, the hydrocarbon-based nanoparticles were nearly completely absorbed by the IL, while the silica nanoparticles maintained equal volume in both phases. At the IL/hexane interface, the hydrocarbon nanoparticles maintained minimal interactions with the IL, whereas the silica nanoparticles were nearly completely absorbed by it. Studies of these two types of nanoparticles immersed in the bulk IL indicate that the surface chemistry has a great effect on the corresponding IL liquid structure. These effects include layering of the ions, hydrogen bonding, and irreversible absorption of some ions to the silica nanoparticle surface. We quantify these effects with respect to each nanoparticle. The results suggest that ILs likely exhibit this absorption capability because they can form solvation layers with reduced dynamics around the nanoparticles.

Molecular dynamics simulations of nanoparticle self-assembly at ionic liquid-water and ionic liquid-oil interfaces

We have studied the self-assembly of hydrophobic nanoparticles at ionic liquid (IL)-water and IL-oil (hexane) interfaces using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. For the 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM][PF(6)])/water system, the nanoparticles rapidly approached the IL-water interface and equilibrated more into the IL phase although they were initially in the water phase. In contrast, when the nanoparticles were dispersed in the hexane phase, they slowly approached the IL-hexane interface but remained primarily in the hexane phase. Consequently, the IL-hexane interface was rather undisturbed by the nanoparticles whereas the IL-water interface changed significantly in width and morphology to accommodate the presence of the nanoparticles. The equilibrium positions of the nanoparticles were also supported and explained by potential of mean force (PMF) calculations. Interesting ordering and charge distributions were observed at the IL-liquid interfaces. At the IL-hexane interface, the [BMIM] cations preferentially oriented themselves so that they were immersed more in the hexane phase and packed efficiently to reduce steric hindrance. The ordering likely contributed to a heightened IL density and a slightly positive charge at the IL-hexane interface. In contrast, the cations at the IL-water interface were oriented isotropically unless in the presence of nanoparticles, where the cations aligned across the nanoparticle surfaces.