Evaluation of anion influence on the formation and extraction capacity of ionic-liquid-based aqueous biphasic systems

Up/Down Tuning of Poly(ionic liquid)s in Aqueous Two-Phase Systems

Thermally induced reversible up/down migration of poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) in aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs) was achieved for the first time in this study. Novel ATPSs were fabricated using azobenzene (Azo)- and benzyl (Bn)-modified PILs, and their upper and lower phases could be easily tuned using the grafting degree (GD) of the Azo and Bn groups. Bn-PIL with higher GD_Bn could go up into the upper phase and Azo-PIL come down to the lower phase when the temperature increased (>65 °C); this behavior was reversed at lower temperatures. Moreover, a reversible two-phase/single-phase transition was realized under UV irradiation. Experimental and simulation results revealed that the difference in the hydration capacity between Bn-PIL and Azo-PIL accounted for their unique phase-separation behavior. A versatile platform for fabricating ATPSs with tunable stimuli-responsive behavior can be realized based on our findings, which can broaden their applications in the fields of smart separation systems and functional material development.

Aqueous Two-Phase Systems Based on Ionic Liquids and Deep Eutectic Solvents as a Tool for the Recovery of Non-Protein Bioactive Compounds—A Review

Aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) based on ionic liquids (IL) and deep eutectic solvents (DES) are ecofriendly choices and can be used to selectively separate compounds of interest, such as bioactive compounds. Bioactive compounds are nutrients and nonnutrients of animal, plant, and microbial origin that benefit the human body in addition to their classic nutritional properties. They can also be used for technical purposes in food and as active components in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Because they are usually present in complex matrices and low concentrations, it is necessary to separate them in order to increase their availability and stability, and ATPS is a highlighted technique for this purpose. This review demonstrates the application of ATPS based on IL and DES as a tool for recovering nonprotein bioactive compounds, considering critical factors, results and the most recent advances in this field. In addition, the review emphasizes the perspectives for expanding the use of nonconventional ATPS in purification systems, which consider the use of molecular modelling to predict experimental conditions, the investigation of diverse compounds in phase-forming systems, the establishment of optimal operational parameters, and the verification of bioactivities after the purification process.

Phase Behavior of Ionic Liquid-Based Aqueous Two-Phase Systems

As an environmentally friendly separation medium, the ionic liquid (IL)-based aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) is attracting long-term attention from a growing number of scientists and engineers. Phase equilibrium data of IL-based ATPSs are an important basis for the design and optimization of chemical reactions and separation processes involving ILs. This article provides the recent significant progress that has been made in the field and highlights the possible directions of future developments. The effects of each component (such as salting-out agents and ILs) on the phase behavior of IL-based ATPSs are summarized and discussed in detail. We mainly focus on the phase behavior of ATPSs by using ILs, expecting to provide meaningful and valuable information that may promote further research and application.

Development and Challenges of Biphasic Membrane-Less Redox Batteries

Ion exchange membranes (IEMs) play important roles in energy generation and storage field, such as fuel cell, flow battery, however, a major barrier in the way of large-scale application is the high cost of membranes (e.g., Nafion membranes price generally exceeds USD$ 200 m-2 ). The membrane-less technology is one of the promising approaches to solve the problem and thus has attracted much attention and been explored in a variety of research paths. This review introduces one of the representative membrane-less battery types, Biphasic membrane-less redox batteries that eliminate the IEMs according to the principle of solvent immiscibility and realizes the phase splitting in a thermodynamically stable state. It is systematically classified and summarizes their performances as well as the problems they are suffering from, and then several effective solutions are proposed based on the modification of electrodes and electrolytes. Finally, special attention is given to the challenges and prospects of Biphasic membrane-less redox batteries, which could contribute to the development of membrane-less batteries.

High-Throughput Method for Natural Organic Matter Hydrophobicity Assessment Using an Ionic Liquid-Based Aqueous Two-Phase System

Hydrophobicity of natural organic matter (NOM) is one of its fundamental properties that influence the environmental fate of pollutants and the performance of many water treatment unit processes. In this study, a high-throughput method was developed for NOM hydrophobicity measurement based on the phase separation technique in the 96-well format. It measures the partition coefficients of NOM (K_ATPS,IL) in an ionic liquid (IL)-based aqueous two-phase system (ATPS). The ATPS was made of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazole bromide solution and a salt solution containing potassium phosphate monobasic and potassium phosphate dibasic. The partition of NOM in IL-based ATPS is mainly affected by its hydrophobicity. log K_ATPS,IL linearly correlated with the commonly used NOM hydrophobicity scales, including (O + N)/C, O/C, and aromatic carbons. K_ATPS,IL provided a more accurate assessment of NOM hydrophobicity than spectroscopic indices. Furthermore, K_ATPS,IL can predict the organic carbon-water partition coefficients for hydrophobic organic chemical sorption to NOM based on the two-phase system model. The high-throughput K_ATPS,IL measurement and the two-phase system model can be applied to real surface water samples. Our results suggest that the proposed high-throughput method has great potential to be applied to monitor NOM hydrophobicity for environmental risk assessment and water treatment purposes.

Valorization of Spent Coffee by Caffeine Extraction Using Aqueous Solutions of Cholinium-Based Ionic Liquids

Spent coffee grounds (SCGs) are a waste product with no relevant commercial value. However, SCGs are rich in extractable compounds with biological activity. To add value to this coffee byproduct, water and aqueous solutions of cholinium-based ionic liquids (ILs) were studied to extract caffeine from SCGs. In general, all IL aqueous solutions lead to higher extraction efficiencies of caffeine than pure water, with aqueous solutions of cholinium bicarbonate being the most efficient. A factorial planning was applied to optimize operational conditions. Aqueous solutions of cholinium bicarbonate, at a temperature of 80 °C for 30 min of extraction, a biomass–solvent weight ratio of 0.05 and at an IL concentration of 1.5 M, made it possible to extract 3.29 wt% of caffeine (against 1.50 wt% obtained at the best conditions obtained with pure water). Furthermore, to improve the sustainability of the process, the same IL aqueous solution was consecutively applied to extract caffeine from six samples of fresh biomass, where an increase in the extraction yield from 3.29 to 13.10 wt% was achieved. Finally, the cholinium bicarbonate was converted to cholinium chloride by titration with hydrochloric acid envisioning the direct application of the IL-caffeine extract in food, cosmetic and nutraceutical products. The results obtained prove that aqueous solutions of cholinium-based ILs are improved solvents for the extraction of caffeine from SCGs, paving the way for their use in the valorization of other waste rich in high-value compounds.

Novel aqueous biphasic system based on ionic liquid for the simultaneous extraction of seven active pharmaceutical ingredients in aquatic environment

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics are classes of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), which are continuously contaminating the ecosystem through various anthropogenic activities. Because of their pseudo-persistence in the aquatic environment and their potentially chronic effects on aquatic life, it is important to closely monitor their concentrations in the aquatic environment using a sensitive analytical method. Sustainable aqueous biphasic systems (ABSs) composed of ionic liquids and biodegradable organic salt (sodium malate) were proposed. The phase diagrams of the systems were firstly determined, and [N₄₄₄₄]Cl-based ABS was selected for the simultaneous extraction and preconcentration of seven APIs. With the developed ABS, extraction efficiencies of APIs close to 100% were obtained. For the developed method, limits of detection (LODs) of 45, 65, 76, 14, 60, 48, and 51 ng L^-1 were obtained for indomethacin, ibuprofen, diclofenac, naproxen, ketoprofen, flurbiprofen, and chloramphenicol, respectively, providing from 1216- to 1238-fold improvement as compared with the analysis without preconcentration. From an economic and environmental point of view, we can predict the prospects and competitive position of the method developed.

Ionic liquids as alternative solvents for energy conservation and environmental engineering

Because of industrialization and modernization, phenomenal changes have taken place in almost all spheres of life. Consequently, the consumption of energy resources and the cases of environmental hazards have risen to an unprecedentedly high level. A development model with due consideration to nature and an efficient utilization of energy sources has become the need of the hour, in order to ensure a sustainable balance between the environmental and technological needs. Recent studies have identified the suitability of ionic liquids (ILs), often labeled as ‘green solvents’, in the efficient utilization of energy resources and activities such as bio-extraction, pollution control, CO2 capture, waste management etc. in an environmentally friendly manner. The advent of magnetic ionic liquids (MILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have opened possibilities for a circular economic approach in this filed. This review intends to analyze the environmental and energy wise consumption of a wide variety of ionic liquids and their potential towards future.

Use of Ionic Liquids in Protein and DNA Chemistry

Ionic liquids (ILs) have been receiving much attention as solvents in various areas of biochemistry because of their various beneficial properties over the volatile solvents and ILs availability in myriad variants (perhaps as many as 108) owing to the possibility of paring one cation with several anions and vice-versa as well as formulations as zwitterions. Their potential as solvents lies in their tendency to offer both directional and non-directional forces toward a solute molecule. Because of these forces, ionic liquids easily undergo intermolecular interactions with a range of polar/non-polar solutes, including biomolecules such as proteins and DNA. The interaction of genomic species in aqueous/non-aqueous states assists in unraveling their structure and functioning, which have implications in various biomedical applications. The charge density of ionic liquids renders them hydrophilic and hydrophobic, which retain intact over long-range of temperatures. Their ability in stabilizing or destabilizing the 3D-structure of a protein or the double-helical structure of DNA has been assessed superior to the water and volatile organic solvents. The aptitude of an ion in influencing the structure and stability of a native protein depends on their ranking in the Hofmeister series. However, at several instances, a reverse Hofmeister ordering of ions and specific ion-solute interaction has been observed. The capability of an ionic liquid in terms of the tendency to promote the coiling/uncoiling of DNA structure is noted to rely on the basicity, electrostatic interaction, and hydrophobicity of the ionic liquid in question. Any change in the DNA's double-helical structure reflects a change in its melting temperature (T m), compared to a standard buffer solution. These changes in DNA structure have implications in biosensor design and targeted drug-delivery in biomedical applications. In the current review, we have attempted to highlight various aspects of ionic liquids that influence the structure and properties of proteins and DNA. In short, the review will address the issues related to the origin and strength of intermolecular interactions, the effect of structural components, their nature, and the influence of temperature, pH, and additives on them.

Uncommon biphasic behaviour induced by very high metal ion concentrations in HCl/H2O/[P44414]Cl and HCl/H2O/PEG-600 systems

In this work, the important role played by metal ions such as Fe(ii/iii), Cr(iii) and Ni(ii) in the formation and binodal behaviour of aqueous biphasic systems (ABS) composed of HCl and the ionic liquid, [P44414]Cl, or the polymer, PEG-600, is investigated. The concentration of metal ions used in this work exceeds several g L-1 for an industrial foreseen application. Experiments have also been carried out by varying the concentration of metal ions at different temperatures. Fe exhibits a totally different behaviour compared to Ni and Cr. In particular, the binodal curves in the presence of the ionic liquid are far from the classical curves found in the literature, displaying an onion-shape form, while for Ni and Cr, the curves follow the classical trend. When any of the three metal ions is mixed with the polymer and HCl medium, only Fe(iii) induces a biphasic system. Insights into the chemical driving forces at work are discussed.

Towards the differential diagnosis of prostate cancer by the pre-treatment of human urine using ionic liquids

Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is the most widely used clinical biomarker for the diagnosis and monitoring of prostate cancer. Most available techniques for PSA quantification in human fluids require extensive sample processing and expensive immunoassays that are often unavailable in developing countries. The quantification of PSA in serum is the most common practice; however, PSA is also present in human urine, although less used in diagnosis. Herein we demonstrate the use of ionic-liquid-based aqueous biphasic systems (IL-based ABS) as effective pre-treatment strategies of human urine, allowing the PSA detection and quantification by more expedite equipment in a non-invasive matrix. If properly designed, IL-based ABS afford the simultaneous extraction and concentration of PSA (at least up to 250-fold) in the IL-rich phase. The best ABS not only allow to concentrate PSA but also other forms of PSA, which can be additionally quantified, paving the way to their use in differential prostate cancer diagnosis.

Chiral Ionic Liquids: Structural Diversity, Properties and Applications in Selected Separation Techniques

Ionic liquids (ILs) are chemical compounds composed of ions with melting points below 100 °C exhibiting a design feature. ILs are commonly used as the so-called green solvents, reagents or highly efficient catalysts in varied chemical processes. The huge application potential of ionic liquids (IL) justifies the growing interest in these compounds. In the last decade, increasing attention has been devoted to the development of new methods in the synthesis of stable chiral ionic liquids (CILs) and their application in various separation techniques. The beginnings of the successful use of CILs to separate enantiomers date back to the 1990 s. Most chiral ILs are based on chiral cations or chiral anions. There is also a limited number of CILs possessing both a chiral cation and a chiral anion. Due to the high molecular diversity of both ions, of which at least one has a chiral center, we have the possibility to design a large variety of optically active structures, thus expanding the range of CIL applications. Research utilizing chiral ionic liquids only recently has become more popular. However, it is the area that still has great potential for future development. This review aimed to describe the diversity of structures, properties and examples of applications of chiral ionic liquids as new chiral solid materials and chiral components of the anisotropic environment, providing chiral recognition of enantiomeric analytes, which is useful in liquid chromatography, countercurrent chromatography and other various CIL-based extraction techniques including aqueous biphasic (ABS) extraction systems, solid-liquid two-phase systems, liquid-liquid extraction systems with hydrophilic CILs, liquid-liquid extraction systems with hydrophobic CILs, solid-phase extraction and induced-precipitation techniques developed in the recent years. The growing demand for pure enantiomers in the pharmaceutical and food industries sparks further development in the field of extraction and separation systems modified with CILs highlighting them as affordable and environmentally friendly both chiral selectors and solvents.

Aqueous Biphasic Systems Containing Customizable Poly(Ionic Liquid)s for Highly Efficient Extractions

Ionic liquid (IL)-based aqueous biphasic systems (ABSs) provide a sustainable and efficient alternative to conventional liquid-liquid extraction techniques and can be used for the extraction, recovery, and purification of diverse solutes. However, the construction of a high-performance ABS that has both excellent phase separation ability and extraction performance remains challenging. This study concerns the preparation of a family of novel ABSs based on poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) with customized structure and controllable molecular weight for the extraction of bioactive compounds. Several tailor-made PILs consisting of a hydrophobic backbone, hydrophilic imidazolium pendant groups and strong hydrogen bonding basic counteranions are prepared by reversible addition fragmentation chain-transfer polymerization. The PILs have a perfect balance of hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity and functionality, affording outstanding phase separation, which was better than with either the IL monomer poly(1-butyl-3-vinylimidazolium bromide ([BVIm]Br) or the normal free-radical polymer P[BVIm]Br*. More importantly, PIL-based ABSs exhibited unprecedented high partition coefficients for six bioactive compounds including tryptophan, phenylalanine, and caffeine, as well as high extraction yields. The performance of the PIL-based ABSs could also be tuned by changing the molecular weight and anionic character of the PILs. This work shows that tailor-made PIL-based ABSs are a promising platform for bioactive compound extraction and provides significant clues for the design of new ABSs for various applications.

Aqueous biphasic systems formed in (zwitterionic salt+inorganic salt) mixtures

The manuscript reports on a new class of aqueous biphasic systems (ABSs) formed in mixtures of inorganic salts (ISs) and zwitterionic salts (ZWSs). Aqueous ternary phase diagrams characterized by a binodal curve were determined for systems consisting of four ISs, K3PO4, K2HPO4, K2HPO4/KH2PO4, and K2CO3, and three structurally similar ZWSs differing in hydrophobicity. Comparison of phase behaviour of ABSs composed of ZWSs, ionic liquids (ILs) and zwitterions was provided. Potential of ZWSs based systems for extraction of aromatic molecules and amino acids, such as glycine, L-tryptophan, DL-phenylalanine, eugenol, and phenol was examined. Feasibility and limitations of isolation of products after partition and recovery of ZWS were discussed.

Green chemical engineering in China

In China, the rapid development greatly promotes the national economic power and living standard but also inevitably brings a series of environmental problems. In order to resolve these problems fundamentally, Chinese scientists have been undertaking research in the area of green chemical engineering (GCE) for many years and achieved great progresses. In this paper, we reviewed the research progresses related to GCE in China and screened four typical topics related to the Chinese resources characteristics and environmental requirements, i.e. ionic liquids and their applications, biomass utilization and bio-based materials/products, green solvent-mediated extraction technologies, and cold plasmas for coal conversion. Afterwards, the perspectives and development tendencies of GCE were proposed, and the challenges which will be faced while developing available industrial technologies in China were mentioned.