Theoretical Study of Ionic Liquid Clusters Catalytic Effect on the Fixation of CO2

Ionic-Liquid-Assisted One-Step Construction of Mesoporous Metal-Organic Frameworks

The synthesis of ionic-mesoporous-metal-organic frameworks (ionic-meso-MOFs) has received considerable interest in the fields of macromolecular adsorption, acid-base catalysis, ionic conductivity, etc.; yet, their synthesis still presents significant difficulties. In this study, functionalized mesoporous MIL-101-ILs (Cr) was facilely constructed via an in situ self-assembly method by using aromatic-anion-functionalized ionic liquids (ILs) as competitive ligands. It has been demonstrated that the inclusion of an aromatic moiety into an IL improves the coordination ability and is advantageous for the anchoring of ILs on Cr³⁺ via amino-metal coordination. Thus, ionic-meso-MOFs with a specific surface area of 441.9-624.9 cm²/g and an average pore diameter of 5.5 to 8.4 nm were successfully synthesized. Because of the presence of open Lewis acidic metal sites on the MOFs and basic active sites on the ILs, the resulting ionic-meso-MOFs demonstrated both an acid-base cooperative effect and a mesoporous structure, indicating a high potential for acid-base catalysis. This in situ synthesis procedure for ionic mesoporous MOFs offers a simple method for developing and fabricating multifunctional mesoporous materials.

Tracking the Micro-Heterogeneity and Hydrogen-Bonding Interactions in Hydroxyl-Functionalized Ionic Liquid Solutions: A Combined Experimental and Computational Study

Ionic liquids (ILs) are an important class of media that are usually used in combination with polar solvents to reduce costs and tune their physicochemical properties. In this regard, it is essential to understand the influence of adding solvents on the properties of ILs. In this work, the micro-heterogeneity and H-bonding interactions between a hydroxyl-functionalized IL, [HOEmim][TFSI], and acetonitrile (ACN) were investigated by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and molecular simulations. All studied IL-ACN mixtures were found to deviate from the ideal mixtures. The degree of deviations reaches the maximum at about x(ACN)=0.7 with the presence of both homogeneous clusters of pure IL/ACN and heterogeneous clusters of IL-ACN. With the addition of ACN to IL, the mixtures undergo the transformation from "ACN solvated in [HOEmim][TFSI]" to "[HOEmim][TFSI] solvated in ACN". It is found that the newly formed H-bonding interactions between the IL and ACN is the main factor that contributes to the red shifts of O-H, C₂ -H, C_4,5 -H, and C_alkyl -H of [HOEmim]⁺ cation, and the blue shifts of C-D, C≡N of ACN, and C-F, S=O of [TFSI]^- anion. These in-depth studies on the mixtures of hydroxyl-functionalized IL and acetonitrile would help to understand the micro-heterogeneity and H-bonding interactions of miscible solutions and shed light on exploring their applications.

Chloroaluminate Gel Electrolytes Prepared with Copolymers Based on Imidazolium Ionic Liquids and Deep Eutectic Solvent AlCl3:Urea

Polymer gel electrolytes (PGEs) have been prepared with copolymers based on imidazolium ionic liquids and the deep eutectic mixture of AlCl₃:urea (uralumina) as liquid electrolyte. The copolymers were synthesized by photopolymerization of vinylpirrolidone or methylmethacrylate with imidazolium bis (trifluoromethane sulfonyl) imide (TFSI) ionic liquid monomer and mixed in an increasing range of wt.% with uralumina. The rheology and electrochemical activity of PGEs were highly dependent on the molar ratio of charged groups and copolymer content. Structure of the PGEs was studied by FTIR and Raman spectroscopy and a correlation between interactions polymer/uralumina and changes in speciation of uralumina was established. Despite the low molecular weight of the copolymers, the resulting polymer electrolytes develop elastomeric character associated with the binding ionic species. Although there is room to improve the electrochemical activity, in this study these new gels provide sufficient electroactivity to make them feasible alternatives as electrolytes in secondary aluminum batteries.

Structural Reorganization of Ionic Liquid Electrolyte by a Rapid Charge/Discharge Circle

The behavior of forming layers near the electrode surface is an important topic for the energy storage with ionic liquid (IL) electrolytes. Here, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to study the behavior of surface active ionic liquid (SAIL) electrolytes near positive electrodes. With the increase of electrode surface charge density, a V-type conformation of the anion [AOT]^- for energy storage was shown. The V conformation is easier to replace the latent voids, which is like wedging ions into the layer near the electrodes. Meanwhile, after a rapid charge/discharge circle, there would be more V-type anions appearing in this optimized electrolyte. It is a significant point for the mechanism of nanoscale and microscale energy storage, which provides a theoretical basis for the optimization of efficient IL electrolytes and the design of related experimental research.

Excess spectroscopy and its applications in the study of solution chemistry

Characterization of structural heterogeneity of liquid solutions and the pursuit of its nature have been challenging tasks to solution chemists. In the last decade, an emerging method called excess spectroscopy has found applications in this area. The method, combining the merits of molecular spectroscopy and excess thermodynamic functions, shows the ability to enhance the apparent resolution of spectra, provides abundant information concerning solution structures and intermolecular interactions. In this review, the thinking and mathematics of the method, as well as its developments, are presented first. Then, research progress related to the exploration of the method is thoroughly reviewed. The materials are classified into two parts, small-molecular solutions and ionic liquid solutions. Finally, potential challenges and the perspective for further development of the method are discussed.

The effect of introducing an ether group into an imidazolium-based ionic liquid in binary mixtures with DMSO

Combined DFT and FTIR investigations reveal interesting hydrogen bonding interactions between dimethyl sulfoxide and an ether-functionalized imidazolium-based ionic liquid.