Ionic Liquid versus Li+ Aqueous Solutions: Water Dynamics near Bistriflimide Anions

Ion/Water Network Structural Dynamics in Highly Concentrated Lithium Chloride and Lithium Bromide Solutions Probed with Ultrafast Infrared Spectroscopy

The structural dynamics of highly concentrated LiCl and LiBr aqueous solutions were observed from 1-4 to 1-16 water molecules per ion pair using ultrafast polarization-selective pump-probe (PSPP) experiments on the OD stretch of dilute HOD. At these high salt concentrations, an extended ion/water network exists with complex structural dynamics. Population decays from PSPP experiments highlight two distinct water components. From the frequency-dependent amplitudes of the decays, the spectra of hydroxyls bound to halides and to water oxygens are obtained, which are not observable in the FT-IR spectra. PSPP experiments also measure frequency-dependent water orientational relaxation. At short times, wobbling dynamics within a restricted angular cone occurs. At high concentrations, the cone angles are dependent on frequency (hydrogen bond strength), but at higher water concentrations (>10 waters per ion pair), there is no frequency dependence. The average cone angle increases as the ion concentration decreases. The slow time constant for complete HOD orientational relaxation is independent of concentration but slower in LiCl than in LiBr. Comparison to structural MD simulations of LiCl from the literature indicates that the loss of the cone angle wavelength dependence and the increase in the cone angles as the concentration decreases occur as the prevalence of large ion/water clusters gives way to contact ion pairs.

Direct Correlation between Short-Range Vibrational Spectral Diffusion and Localized Ion-Cage Dynamics of Water-in-Salt Electrolytes

The molecular dynamics simulations of a "water-in-salt" electrolyte, lithium bis(trifluoromethyl sulfonyl) imide (LiNTf₂), with a varying concentration range of 3 to 20 m were performed to establish a direct connection between a dynamic property like the ion-cage lifetime with the short-range vibrational stretching frequency shift of the used probe, HOD. The properties reported here are compared to that obtained from experiments performed at the same concentrations. The time-series wavelet transform was adopted as a preferable mathematical tool for calculating the instantaneous fluctuating frequencies of the probe O-D stretch mode and the concentration-dependent vibrational stretch spectral signature based on the variable functions associated with a particular chemical bond derived from classical molecular dynamics trajectories. The decay time constants of frequency fluctuations and the lifetime of the ion cage (τ_IC) were estimated as a function of salt concentration. Herein, we emphasize the correlation between the slowest time constant (τ₃) of the decay of O-D stretch frequency fluctuations and the timescales associated with the lifetime of ion cages (τ_IC). The results exhibit that the existing relationships were also concentration-dependent. Therefore, this study highlights the connection between the ionic motions that regulate the overall system dynamics with the short-range vibrational frequency shift of the used probe, which was used similar to experiments. It also provides an understanding of the interionic interactions and the dynamical and spectral properties of the electrolytic mixtures. We establish a direct correlation between short-range frequency profile and localized ion-cage lifetime, which can fill the gap of understanding between viscosity, vibrational frequency, and ion-cage dynamics of electrolytes.

Molecular Simulation-Guided Spectroscopy of Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquids and Effects of Methylation on Ion-Cage and -Pair Dynamics

Classical molecular dynamics simulations were performed to assess an atomistic interpretation of the ion-probe structural interactions in two typical ionic liquids (ILs), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [BMIm][NTf₂] and 1-butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [BDimIm][NTf₂] through computational ultrafast spectroscopy. The nitrile stretching vibrations of the thiocyanate anion, [SCN]^-, serve as the local mode of the ultrafast system dynamics within the imidazolium-based ionic liquid environment. The wavelet transform of classical trajectories determines the time-varying fluctuating frequencies and the stretch spectral signatures of SCN^- in the normalized distribution. However, computational modeling of the two-dimensional (2D) spectra from the wavelet-derived vibrational frequencies yields time evolution of the local molecular structure along with the varied time-dependent dynamics of the spectral diffusion process. We calculated the frequency-frequency correlation functions (FFCFs), time correlations associated with the ion-pair and -cage dynamics, and mean square displacements as a function of time, depicting diffusive dynamics. The calculated results based on the pair correlation functions and the distribution of atomic density suggest that the hydrogen and methylated carbon at the two-position of the imidazolium ring of [BMIm] and [BDimIm] cations, respectively, strongly interact with the probe through the N of the thiocyanate anion rather than the S atom. The center-of-mass center-of-mass (COM-COM) cation-probe radial distribution functions (RDFs) in conjunction with the site-specific structural analysis further reveal well-structured interactions of the thiocyanate ion and [BMIm]⁺ cation rather than the [BDimIm] cation. In contrast, the anion-probe COM-COM RDFs depict weak interactive associations within the vibrational probe [SCN]^- and [NTf₂]^- ions. Methylation at the two-position of the imidazolium ring predicts slower structural reorganization and breaking and reformation dynamics of the ion pairs and cages within the ionic liquid framework.

Multiple Ensembles of the Hydrogen-bonded Network in Ethylammonium Nitrate versus Water from Vibrational Spectral Dynamics of SCN- Probe

We performed classical molecular dynamics simulations to monitor the structural interactions and ultrafast dynamical and spectral response in the protic ionic liquid, ethylammonium nitrate (EAN) and water using the nitrile stretching mode of thiocyanate ion (SCN-) as the vibrational probe. The normalized stretch frequency distribution of nitrile stretch of SCN- attains an asymmetric shape in EAN, indicating the existence of more than one hydrogen-bonding environment in EAN. We computed the 2D IR spectrum from classical trajectories, applying the response function formalism. Spectral diffusion dynamics in EAN undergo an initial rattling of the SCN - inside the local ion-cage occurring at a timescale of 0.10 ps, followed by the breakup of the ion-cage activating molecular diffusion at 7.86 ps timescale. In contrast, the dynamics of structural reorganization occur at a timescale of 0.58 ps in H 2 O. Hence, the time dependence of the frequency-frequency correlation function decay hints at the local molecular structure and ultrafast ion dynamics of the SCN - probe. The loss of frequency correlation read from the peak shape changes in the 2D correlation spectrum as a function of waiting time is faster in H 2 O than in EAN due to the enhanced structural ordering and higher viscosity of the latter. We provide an atomic-level interpretation of the solvation environment around SCN - in EAN and water, which indicates the multiple ensembles of the hydrogen bond network in EAN.

Microheterogeneity-Induced Vibrational Spectral Dynamics of Aqueous 1-Alkyl-3-methylimidazolium Tetrafluoroborate Ionic Liquids of Different Cationic Chain Lengths

We have monitored the impacts of an increment in the alkyl chain length of the imidazolium-based tetrafluoroborate ionic liquids on the local deuteroxyl probe modes of interest. For this study, we have taken 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [EMIm][BF₄], 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [BMIm][BF₄], 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [OMIm][BF₄], and 1-decyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [DMIm][BF₄] ionic liquid solutions with 5% HOD in H₂O as the vibrational reporter of the associated ultrafast system dynamics. Classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were employed to determine molecular structure and dynamic properties, while the spectral profiles were derived by applying the wavelet analysis of classical trajectories. Spatial distribution functions reveal the heterogeneity within the molecular structures of the ionic liquids (ILs) with varying alkyl chain lengths. The intense position of the spectral peak, the frequency corresponding to the shoulder peak, and the spectral linewidth of the O-D stretch distribution are not influenced by the increment in the cationic chain length. In addition, the ionic liquid (IL) [BMIm][BF₄] exhibits a notable trend; the dynamic timescales are longer than the other studied systems. Therefore, we have performed the Voronoi decomposition analysis of the ionic and the polar-apolar domains, symmetrically increasing the length of alkyl chains on the IL cations. Domain analysis reveals structural microheterogeneity; the anions form discrete domains, and the ionic liquid constituting cations form continuous domains irrespective of the alkyl chain length on the imidazolium cations. Therefore, this computational ultrafast spectroscopy study aids in forming a molecular-level picture of the ionic liquid cations and anions in the liquid phase, providing a detailed interpretation of the spectral properties of the probe stretching vibrations.

From Networked to Isolated: Observing Water Hydrogen Bonds in Concentrated Electrolytes with Two-Dimensional Infrared Spectroscopy

Superconcentrated electrolytes have emerged as a promising class of materials for energy storage devices, with evidence that high voltage performance is possible even with water as the solvent. Here, we study the changes in the water hydrogen bonding network induced by the dissolution of lithium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) in concentrations ranging from the dilute to the superconcentrated regimes. Using time-resolved two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy, we observe the progressive disruption of the water-water hydrogen bond network and the appearance of isolated water molecules interacting only with ions, which can be identified and spectroscopically isolated through the intermolecular cross-peaks between the water and the TFSI^- ions. Analyzing the vibrational relaxation of excitations of the H₂O stretching mode, we observe a transition in the dominant relaxation path as the bulk-like water vanishes and is replaced by ion-solvation water with the rapid single-step relaxation of delocalized stretching vibrations into the low frequency modes being replaced by multistep relaxation through the intramolecular H₂O bend and into the TFSI^- high frequency modes prior to relaxing to the low frequency structural degrees of freedom. These results definitively demonstrate the absence of vibrationally bulk-like water in the presence of high concentrations of LiTFSI and especially in the superconcentrated regime, while additionally revealing aspects of the water hydrogen bond network that have been difficult to discern from the vibrational spectroscopy of the neat liquid.

Biocompatible Cationic Lipoamino Acids as Counterions for Oral Administration of API-Ionic Liquids

Purpose

The use of ionic liquids (ILs) in drug delivery has focused attention on non-toxic IL counterions. Cationic lipids can be used to form ILs with weakly acidic drugs to enhance drug loading in lipid-based formulations (LBFs). However, cationic lipids are typically toxic. Here we explore the use of lipoaminoacids (LAAs) as cationic IL counterions that degrade or digest in vivo to non-toxic components.

Methods

LAAs were synthesised via esterification of amino acids with fatty alcohols to produce potentially digestible cationic LAAs. The LAAs were employed to form ILs with tolfenamic acid (Tol) and the Tol ILs loaded into LBF and examined in vitro and in vivo.

Results

Cationic LAAs complexed with Tol to generate lipophilic Tol ILs with high drug loading in LBFs. Assessment of the LAA under simulated digestion conditions revealed that they were susceptible to enzymatic degradation under intestinal conditions, forming biocompatible FAs and amino acids. In vitro dispersion and digestion studies of Tol ILs revealed that formulations containing digestible Tol ILs were able to maintain drug dispersion and solubilisation whilst the LAA were breaking down under digesting conditions. Finally, in vivo oral bioavailability studies demonstrated that oral delivery of a LBF containing a Tol IL comprising a digestible cationic lipid counterion was able to successfully support effective oral delivery of Tol.

Conclusions

Digestible LAA cationic lipids are potential IL counterions for weakly acidic drug molecules and digest in situ to form non-toxic breakdown products.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11095-022-03305-y.

Water Dynamics and Structure of Highly Concentrated LiCl Solutions Investigated Using Ultrafast Infrared Spectroscopy

In highly concentrated salt solutions, the water hydrogen bond (H-bond) network is completely disrupted by the presence of ions. Water is forced to restructure as dictated by the water-ion and ion-ion interactions. Using ultrafast polarization-selective pump-probe (PSPP) spectroscopy measurements of the OD stretch of dilute HOD, we demonstrate that the limited water-water H-bonding present in concentrated lithium chloride solutions (up to four waters per ion pair) is, on average, stronger than that occurring in bulk water. Furthermore, information on the orientational dynamics and the angular restriction of water H-bonded to both water oxygens and chloride anions was obtained through analysis of the frequency-dependent anisotropy decays. It was found that, when the salt concentration increased, the water showed increasing restriction and slowing at frequencies correlated with strong H-bonding. The angular restriction of the water molecules and strengthening of water-water H-bonds are due to the formation of a water-ion network not present in bulk water and dilute salt solutions. The structural evolution of the ionic medium was also observed through spectral diffusion of the OD stretch using 2D IR spectroscopy. Compared to bulk water, there is significant slowing of the biexponential spectral diffusion dynamics. The slowest component of the spectral diffusion (13 ps) is virtually identical to the time for complete reorientation of HOD measured with the PSPP experiments. This result suggests that the slowest component of the spectral diffusion reflects rearrangement of water molecules in the water-ion network.

Dynamics of Ionic Liquid through Intrinsic Vibrational Probes Using the Dispersion-Corrected DFT Functionals

First principles molecular dynamics simulations have been utilized to study the spectral properties of the protic ionic liquid, methylammonium formate (MAF). All simulations were performed using density functional theory (DFT) and various van der Waals-corrected exchange-correlation functionals. We calculated the vibrational stretch frequency distributions, determined the time-frequency correlations of the intrinsic vibrational probes, the N-H and C-O modes in MAF, and the frequency-structure correlations. We also estimated the average hydrogen-bond lifetimes and orientation dynamics to capture the ultrafast spectral response. The spectroscopic signature of the N-H stretching vibrations using the Becke-Lee-Yang-Parr (BLYP) and Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) functionals displays a spectral shift in the lower frequency side, suggesting stronger hydrogen-bonding interactions represented by the gradient approximation functionals than the van der Waals (vdW)-corrected simulations. The carboxylate frequency profiles with the dispersion-corrected representations are almost similar without a significant difference in the normalized distributions. Besides, the COO stretching frequencies at the peak maxima positions of the PBE functionals exhibit a lesser deviation from the experimental data. Spectral diffusion dynamics of the intrinsic vibrational probes on the cationic and anionic sites of the ionic liquid proceed through a short time relaxation of the intact hydrogen bonds followed by an intermediate time constant and a longer time decay indicating the switchover of hydrogen bonds. Dispersion-corrected atom-centered one-electron potential (DCACP) correction added to the BLYP system slows down the picosecond time scales of frequency correlation and the time constants of rotational motion, lengthening the overall system dynamics. The observed trends in the time-dependent decays of frequency fluctuations and the orientation autocorrelation functions correlate with the structural interactions in liquid MAF and hydrogen-bond dynamics. In this study, we examine the predictions made by different density functional treatments comparing the results of the uncorrected BLYP and PBE representations with the semiempirical vdW methods of Grimme and matching our calculated data with the experimental observations.

Water-in-Bisalt Electrolyte with Record Salt Concentration and Widened Electrochemical Stability Window

Water-in-salt and water-in-bisalt electrolytes have recently attracted much attention due to their expanded electrochemical stability windows. The concentration limit of such electrolytes is constrained by the solubility of the lithium salts employed, ca. 21 m (mol kg^-1) for LiTFSI (lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide). By adding a second lithium salt, the total salt concentration can be increased, but the hydrogen evolution keeps limiting the application of such systems in batteries with low potential anodes. Herein we report a water-in-bisalt electrolyte with a record salt concentration (31.4 m LiTFSI + 7.9 m Li[N(CH₃)₂((CH₂)₃SO₃)((CH₂)₄SO₃)]) in which the bulky anion completely prevents the crystallization, even at such low water contents. Although the hydrogen evolution reaction is not completely suppressed, the expanded electrochemical stability window allows for low potential reactions such as aluminum-lithium alloying. The high salt concentration favors the formation of a suitable passivation layer that can be further engineered by modifying the anion structure.

Ultrafast Hydrogen Bond Exchanging between Water and Anions in Concentrated Ionic Liquid Aqueous Solutions

The mixtures of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([BMIM]BF₄) ionic liquids (ILs) and water as a function of IL concentrations have been investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and ultrafast two-dimensional IR (2D IR) spectroscopy. FTIR spectra of the mixtures resolve two different types of water species, one interacting with the BF₄^- anions and the other associated with bulklike water molecules. These two water species are in a dynamic equilibrium through forming different hydrogen bonding configurations which are separated by more than 100 cm^-1 in the IR spectra. The structural dynamics of the IL mixtures are further revealed by monitoring the vibrational relaxation dynamics of the OD stretching group of interfacial water molecules hydrogen bonded to BF₄^- anions. With the increase of the IL bulk concentration, vibrational population and rotational dynamics of the interfacial water molecules can be described by a biexponential decay function and are strongly dependent on the IL concentrations. Furthermore, the ultrafast hydrogen bond exchanging between water and BF₄^- anions in the ILs are also measured using 2D IR spectroscopy. The average hydrogen bond exchanging rate is determined to be 19 ± 4 ps, which is around 3 times slower than that in the NaBF₄ electrolyte aqueous solution. The much slower hydrogen bond exchanging rate indicates that the local structure of ILs and water molecules are strongly mediated by the steric effect of the cationic group in the ILs, which is proposed to be responsible for the formation of the heterogeneous structure in the IL mixtures. By using SCN^- as the anionic probe, the structural inhomogeneity in the IL solutions can be confirmed from the distinct rotational dynamics of the SCN^-, which is segregated from the rotational dynamics of water molecules in the IL mixtures.

"Solvent-in-salt" systems for design of new materials in chemistry, biology and energy research

Inorganic and organic "solvent-in-salt" (SIS) systems have been known for decades but have attracted significant attention only recently. Molten salt hydrates/solvates have been successfully employed as non-flammable, benign electrolytes in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries leading to a revolution in battery development and design. SIS with organic components (for example, ionic liquids containing small amounts of water) demonstrate remarkable thermal stability and tunability, and present a class of admittedly safer electrolytes, in comparison with traditional organic solvents. Water molecules tend to form nano- and microstructures (droplets and channel networks) in ionic media impacting their heterogeneity. Such microscale domains can be employed as microreactors for chemical and enzymatic synthesis. In this review, we address known SIS systems and discuss their composition, structure, properties and dynamics. Special attention is paid to the current and potential applications of inorganic and organic SIS systems in energy research, chemistry and biochemistry. A separate section of this review is dedicated to experimental methods of SIS investigation, which is crucial for the development of this field.