Dichotomous Well-defined Nanostructure with Weakly Arranged Ion Packing Explains the Solvency of Pyrrolidinium Acetate

Self-Assembled Nanostructures in Aprotic Ionic Liquids Facilitate Charge Transport at Elevated Pressure

Ionic liquids (ILs), revealing a tendency to form self-assembled nanostructures, have emerged as promising materials in various applications, especially in energy storage and conversion. Despite multiple reports discussing the effect of structural factors and external thermodynamic variables on ion organization in a liquid state, little is known about the charge-transport mechanism through the self-assembled nanostructures and how it changes at elevated pressure. To address these issues, we chose three amphiphilic ionic liquids containing the same tetra(alkyl)phosphonium cation and anions differing in size and shape, i.e., thiocyanate [SCN]-, dicyanamide [DCA]-, and tricyanomethanide [TCM]-. From ambient pressure dielectric and mechanical experiments, we found that charge transport of all three examined ILs is viscosity-controlled at high temperatures. On the other hand, ion diffusion is much faster than structural dynamics in a nanostructured supercooled liquid (at T < 210 ± 3 K), which constitutes the first example of conductivity independent from viscosity in neat aprotic ILs. High-pressure measurements and MD simulations reveal that the created nanostructures depend on the anion size and can be modified by compression. For small anions, increasing pressure shapes immobile alkyl chains into lamellar-type phases, leading to increased anisotropic diffusivity of anions through channels. Bulky anions drive the formation of interconnected phases with continuous 3D curvature, which render ion transport independent of pressure. This work offers insight into the design of high-density electrolytes with percolating conductive phases providing efficient ion flow.

Spectroscopic Signatures of Hydrogen-Bonding Motifs in Protonic Ionic Liquid Systems: Insights from Diethylammonium Nitrate in the Solid State

Diethylammonium nitrate, [N0 0 2 2][NO3], and its perdeuterated analogue, [N D D 2 2] [NO3], were structurally characterized and studied by infrared, Raman, and inelastic neutron scattering (INS) spectroscopy. Using these experimental data along with state-of-the-art computational materials modeling, we report unambiguous spectroscopic signatures of hydrogen-bonding interactions between the two counterions. An exhaustive assignment of the spectral features observed with each technique has been provided, and a number of distinct modes related to NH···O dynamics have been identified. We put a particular emphasis on a detailed interpretation of the high-resolution, broadband INS experiments. In particular, the INS data highlight the importance of conformational degrees of freedom within the alkyl chains, a ubiquitous feature of ionic liquid (IL) systems. These findings also enable an in-depth physicochemical understanding of protonic IL systems, a first and necessary step to the tailoring of hydrogen-bonding networks in this important class of materials.

Catanionic Surfactant Self-Assembly in Protic Ionic Liquids

Mixing of cationic and anionic surfactants in water can result in pseudo-double-tailed catanionic surfactant ion pairs that form lamellar phases or vesicles that are unstable toward electrolyte addition. Here we show that despite the very high ionic strengths, catanionic surfactants counterintuitively form a wider variety of self-assembled aggregates in pure ionic liquids (ILs, pure salts in a liquid phase) than in water, including micelles, vesicles, and lyotropic phases. Self-assembled structures only form when the IL is sufficiently polar to drive self-assembly through electrostatic interactions and/or H-bond networks, but the catanionic effect is manifested only when the IL does not itself exhibit pronounced amphiphilic nanostructure. This enables the type of catanionic aggregate formed to be designed by changing the hydrogen bonds between the ions through variation of the structures of the cation and anion. These results reveal an entirely new way of controlling catanionic surfactant self-assembly under nonaqueous and high-salt conditions.

Microstructural and Dynamical Heterogeneities in Ionic Liquids

Ionic liquids (ILs) are a special category of molten salts solely composed of ions with varied molecular symmetry and charge delocalization. The versatility in combining varied cation-anion moieties and in functionalizing ions with different atoms and molecular groups contributes to their peculiar interactions ranging from weak isotropic associations to strong, specific, and anisotropic forces. A delicate interplay among intra- and intermolecular interactions facilitates the formation of heterogeneous microstructures and liquid morphologies, which further contributes to their striking dynamical properties. Microstructural and dynamical heterogeneities of ILs lead to their multifaceted properties described by an inherent designer feature, which makes ILs important candidates for novel solvents, electrolytes, and functional materials in academia and industrial applications. Due to a massive number of combinations of ion pairs with ion species having distinct molecular structures and IL mixtures containing varied molecular solvents, a comprehensive understanding of their hierarchical structural and dynamical quantities is of great significance for a rational selection of ILs with appropriate properties and thereafter advancing their macroscopic functionalities in applications. In this review, we comprehensively trace recent advances in understanding delicate interplay of strong and weak interactions that underpin their complex phase behaviors with a particular emphasis on understanding heterogeneous microstructures and dynamics of ILs in bulk liquids, in mixtures with cosolvents, and in interfacial regions.

Structural Design of Ionic Liquids for Optimizing Aromatic Dissolution

Certain protic ionic liquids (PILs) are potentially low-cost, high-efficiency solvents for the extraction and processing of aromatic compounds. To understand the key design features of PILs that determine solubility selectivity at the atomic level, neutron diffraction was used to compare the bulk structure of two PILs with and without an aromatic solute, guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol). Guaiacol is a common lignin residue in biomass processing, and a model compound for anisole- or phenol-based food additives and drug precursors. Although the presence of amphiphilic nanostructure is important to facilitate the dissolution of solute nonpolar moieties, the local geometry and competitive interactions between the polar groups of the cation, anion, and solute are found to also strongly influence solvation. Based on these factors, a framework is presented for the design of PIL structure to minimize competition and to enhance driving forces for the dissolution of small aromatic species.

Amphiphilically Nanostructured Deep Eutectic Solvents

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are neoteric liquids produced by mixing a high-melting-point salt and a molecular hydrogen-bond donor. Amphiphilic (self-assembled) liquid nanostructure, which is key for many of the useful properties of the related ionic liquid class, has not previously been experimentally demonstrated in DESs. Here we show how amphiphilically nanostructured DESs can be prepared using primary ammonium cations. The bulk structure of alkylammonium bromide (alkyl = ethyl-, propyl-, and butyl) and glycerol DESs at a 1:2 mol ratio is examined using neutron diffraction and empirical potential structure refinement fitting. Analysis reveals cation alkyl chain association, which is the signature of amphiphilic liquid nanostructure, in all systems, which becomes better defined with increasing chain length. The ability to form amphiphilically nanostructured DESs will enable the translation of ionic liquid properties associated with liquid nanostructure to DESs.

Dihydrogen vs. hydrogen bonding in the solvation of ammonia borane by tetrahydrofuran and liquid ammonia

The solvation structures of two systems rich in hydrogen and dihydrogen bonding interactions have been studied in detail experimentally through neutron diffraction with hydrogen/deuterium isotopic substitution.