Preparation of tough, thermally stable, and water-resistant double-network ion gels consisting of silica nanoparticles/poly(ionic liquid)s through photopolymerisation of an ionic monomer and subsequent solvent removal

We report the preparation of tough, thermally stable, and water-resistant double-network (DN) ion gels, which consist of a partially-clustered silica nanoparticle network and poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) network holding an ionic liquid. Silica nanoparticles/poly([Evim][Tf₂N]) DN ion gels are prepared by photo-induced radical polymerisation of [Evim][Tf₂N] in a mixture containing silica nanoparticles, [Bmim][Tf₂N], ionic liquid based cross-linker [(VIM)₂C₄][Tf₂N]₂, and ethyl acetate, followed by subsequent solvent evaporation. Tensile strength measurements show that the mechanical properties of the PIL DN ion gels were higher than those of the PIL single-network (SN) ion gel. A rheological study indicates that an enhancement in mechanical strength of the PIL DN ion gels can be achieved when silica nanoparticles form partial clusters in [Bmim][Tf₂N]. The cyclic stress-strain measurement of the PIL DN ion gels shows hysteresis loops, suggesting that the silica nanoparticle clusters rupture and dissipate the loading energy when the PIL DN ion gels undergo a large deformation. The fracture strength and Young's modulus of the PIL DN ion gels increase as the diameter of the silica nanoparticles is decreased. Thermogravimetric analysis measurement shows that the PIL DN ion gel has a high decomposition temperature of approximately 400 °C. Moreover, the swelling test shows that the PIL DN ion gel possesses an excellent water-resistant property because of the hydrophobic nature of the PIL backbone. We believe that such tough, thermally stable, and water-resistant PIL DN ion gels can be used as carbon dioxide separation membranes, sensors, and actuators for soft robotics.

The heat capacities and critical behaviors of binary ionic solutions

The heat capacities of nine binary room temperature ionic solutions {[C4mim][BF4] + 1,2-butandiol}, {[C8mim][BF4] + 1-pentanol}, {[C8mim][BF4] + 2-pentanol}, {[C8mim][BF4] + 1-hexanol}, {[C8mim][BF4] + 1-heptanol}, {[C8mim][PF6] + 1-propanol}, {[C8mim][PF6] + 1-butanol}, {[C8mim][PF6] + 2-butanol} and {[C8mim][PF6] + tert-butanol} are reported herein. The combination of the data obtained with the corresponding measured coexistence curves infers that the critical asymmetry parameter of the coexistence curves linearly varies with the molar volume ratio of the two components for each of the studied binary ionic solutions after the heat capacity contribution is considered. This indicates the importance of the heat capacity contribution to the critical asymmetry. For further analysis of the critical characteristics of the ionic solutions, a large amount of experimental data was collected and systematically discussed in detail regarding which critical character is important in the binary ionic solutions. A general increasing tendency for the RPM (restricted primitive model)-rescaled critical parameters with the relative permittivity εr,c of the solvent at the critical temperature of the corresponding system was found. This is attributed not only to the screening effect of the solvent medium, but also to solvophobic interactions, which both increase with εr,c. This study also demonstrates that the critical amplitudes increased, while the relative contribution of the heat capacity to the asymmetry of the coexistence curve decreased with an increase in εr,c.

"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.

Designing the ammonium cation to achieve a higher hydrophilicity of bistriflimide-based ionic liquids

Development of water soluble bistriflimide-based ionic liquids and molecular dynamics simulations to unveil the underlying molecular details.

Critical universality and asymmetry of ionic solution {iodobenzene + 1-decyl-3-methyl-imidazolium bis(trifluorosulfonyl)imide}

The liquid-liquid coexistence curve, heat capacity in the critical and noncritical regions, and the turbidity in critical one-phase and two-phase regions of the binary solution {iodobenzene + 1-decyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluorosulfonyl)imide ([C₁₀mim][NTf₂])} have been precisely measured. From the data collected in the critical region, the critical exponents α, β, γ and ν, as well as the universal critical amplitude ratios R_B and X were obtained and were shown to agree well with their theoretical values for the 3D-Ising universality class, which further confirmed the 3D-Ising criticality of ionic solutions even in a very low relative permittivity solvent. The coulombic character of the studied system was suggested by the small values of the RPM reduced critical temperature and density. Furthermore, it was found that both the asymmetric behaviors of the diameter of the coexistence curve and the osmotic compressibility could be well described using the complete scaling theory.

Sound Wave Propagation in Immiscible AgBr+LiCl Melts

The velocity of sound wave propagation was measured for the biphasic region of AgBr+LiCl melts using the pulse method at temperatures from melting point to mixing temperature. It was found that temperature dependences of sound velocities on the saturation lines have opposite signs because of the different effect of thermal motion of the particles and the phases’ composition at the sound velocity. The difference between the sound velocities in the coexisting phases, Δu, is described by the exponential equation Δu≈(Tc−T)θ where the exponent is 0.865. This index is close to the values found in salt families formed with silver iodide and lithium and sodium halides but occurs at a lower value than that found for alkali halide melts between each other. The sound velocities in the phases take the same value 1612 m s−1 at the upper critical consolute temperature Tc=843 K. For a family of stratified silver halide containing melts, the versatility of the temperature dependence of the sound velocity near the critical point of mixing is declared. The sound velocity is discussed from the viewpoint of the different character of chemical bonds of salts.

Ginzburg criterion for ionic fluids: the effect of Coulomb interactions

The effect of the Coulomb interactions on the crossover between mean-field and Ising critical behavior in ionic fluids is studied using the Ginzburg criterion. We consider the charge-asymmetric primitive model supplemented by short-range attractive interactions in the vicinity of the gas-liquid critical point. The model without Coulomb interactions exhibiting typical Ising critical behavior is used to calibrate the Ginzburg temperature of the systems comprising electrostatic interactions. Using the collective variables method, we derive a microscopic-based effective Hamiltonian for the full model. We obtain explicit expressions for all the relevant Hamiltonian coefficients within the framework of the same approximation, i.e., the one-loop approximation. Then we consistently calculate the reduced Ginzburg temperature t(G) for both the purely Coulombic model (a restricted primitive model) and the purely nonionic model (a hard-sphere square-well model) as well as for the model parameters ranging between these two limiting cases. Contrary to the previous theoretical estimates, we obtain the reduced Ginzburg temperature for the purely Coulombic model to be about 20 times smaller than for the nonionic model. For the full model including both short-range and long-range interactions, we show that t(G) approaches the value found for the purely Coulombic model when the strength of the Coulomb interactions becomes sufficiently large. Our results suggest a key role of Coulomb interactions in the crossover behavior observed experimentally in ionic fluids as well as confirm the Ising-like criticality in the Coulomb-dominated ionic systems.

Liquid-liquid phase separation in solutions of ionic liquids: phase diagrams, corresponding state analysis and comparison with simulations of the primitive model

Phase diagrams of ionic solutions of the ionic liquid C(18)mim(+)NTF(2)(-) (1-n-octadecyl-3-methyl imidazolium bistrifluormethylsulfonylimide) in decalin, cyclohexane and methylcyclohexane are reported and compared with that of solutions of other imidazolium ionic liquids with the anions NTF(2)(-), Cl(-) and BF4(-) in arenes, CCl(4), alcohols and water. The phase diagrams are analysed presuming Ising criticality and taking into account the asymmetry of the phase diagrams. The resulting parameters are compared with simulation results for equal-sized charged hard spheres in a dielectric continuum, the restricted primitive model (RPM) and the primitive model (PM) that allows for ions of different size. In the RPM temperature scale the critical temperatures vary almost linearly with the dielectric permittivity of the solvent. The RPM critical temperatures of the solutions in non-polar solvents are very similar, somewhat below the RPM value. Correlations with the boiling temperatures of the solvents and a dependence on the length of the side chain of the imidazolium cations show that dispersion interactions modify the phase transition, which is mainly determined by Coulomb forces. Critical concentrations, widths of the phase diagrams and the slopes of the diameter are different for the solutions in protic and aprotic solvents. The phase diagrams of the solutions in alcohols and water get a lower critical solution point when represented in RPM variables.

Phase Separation in Solutions of Room Temperature Ionic Liquids in Hydrocarbons

The room temperature ionic liquids (RTIL) trihexyl-tetradecyl phosphonium chloride (P666 14Cl) and the bromide (P666 14Br) are soluble in hydrocarbons. The investigated solutions in heptane, octane, nonane and decane show liquid–liquid phase separation with an upper critical solution point at ambient temperatures at molar fractions near 0.03 of the salt. Phase diagrams are reported and analysed presuming Ising criticality. The critical temperatures and the critical densities increase with the chain length of the hydrocarbons, where the figures corresponding to the bromides are above that of the chlorides. Scaled by the critical data the phase diagrams show corresponding state behaviour. In accordance with the prediction of the restricted primitive model (RPM), which is a model fluid of equal sized, charged hard spheres in a dielectric continuum, the critical points are located at low temperature and low concentration, when the corresponding state variables of this model are used. However, the critical temperature T c * and the critical density ρc * are well below the figures of the RPM prediction. Comparison is made with the phase diagrams of alcohol solutions of imidazolium ionic liquids and with simulation results of the RPM.

Solution Thermodynamics of some Imidazolium-based Ionic Liquids in Water and Aliphatic Alcohols

The solubilities of imidazolium-based ionic liquids [C4mim][PF6], [C6mim][PF6] and [C6mim][BF4] in water, ethanol, n-propanol, n-butanol, iso-butanol and n-pentanol have been determined from 278.15 K to 323.15 K with 5.0 K intervals by using UV-vis spectroscopy. It is shown that the characteristics of ionic liquids and solvents have significant effect on the solubilities. An increase in the alkyl chain length of the alcohol resulted in a decrease in the solubility. By increasing the alkyl chain length on the cation of the ionic liquids, the solubility increased in the alcohols but decreased in water. The nature of anion was shown to have a great impact on the solubility both in the alcohols and in water. The solution thermodynamic parameters of the ionic liquids and the thermodynamic parameters of transfer for the ionic liquids from water to the alcohols were calculated from the solubility data at different temperatures. The results has been discussed from the differences in the ionic liquid–ionic liquid, ionic liquid–water and ionic liquid–alcohol interactions.