Comparative structural analyses in four ionic liquid systems: the two low-q peaks of IL structure factor functions

Isotropic liquid state of cocoa butter

The complex crystal structure of coca butter (CB) is responsible for the unique melting behavior, surface gloss, and mechanical properties of chocolate. While most studies concentrated on the crystalline state of CB, few studied the isotropic liquid state, which has a major impact on the crystallization process and the characteristics of the resulting crystals. In this study, the molecular organizations of the main CB triacylglycerols (TAGs; 1,3-dipalmitoyl-2-oleoylglycerol, palmitoyl-oleoyl-stearoylglycerol, POS, and 1,3-distearoyl-2-oleoylglycerol) were studied. The findings revealed the tunning-fork (Tf) conformation, commonly found in the crystalline state, is the least abundant in the isotropic liquid state of CB and pure TAGs. Notably, POS was found to interact with itself in CB, while its molecules with Tf conformation, although in small amounts in the mixture, tend to pair with each other at lower temperatures. These results highlight the significance of POS in CB crystallization and provide insights for developing CB alternatives.

Neat ionic liquids versus ionic liquid mixtures: a combination of experimental data and molecular simulation

Simple mixtures of ionic liquids (IL–IL mixtures) can become a promising approach for the substitution of task-specific ILs.

Shear Viscosity and Heterogeneous Structure of Alkylaminoethanol-Based CO2 Absorbents

Shear viscosity of concentrated aqueous solutions of alkylaminoethanols was determined with changing the length of the alkyl chain and the concentration of dissolved CO₂. The viscosity increased with increasing the CO₂ loading, reflecting the strengthening of the intermolecular electrostatic interaction. The dependence of the viscosity on both temperature and CO₂ loading was described by a modified version of Vogel-Fulchar-Tammann equation. Compared at the same volume concentration of CO₂, the viscosity increased with increasing the alkyl chain lengths, and the dependence on the alkyl chain length increased with the CO₂ loading. At the same time, small-angle X-ray scattering profiles exhibited the presence of a prepeak when the alkyl chain was long, and the prepeak grew with the CO₂ loading. It suggests that the presence of the heterogeneous structure increases the shear viscosity of the CO₂ absorbents when the alkyl chain is long.

Molecular dynamics studies on the structure and interactions of ionic liquids containing amino-acid anions

Several molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been performed in order to obtain structural information on ionic liquids (ILs) based on amino-acid anions.