Structural evolution of imidazolium-based poly (ionic liquid) assemblies during solvent evaporation

Experimental and in silico insights: interaction of dimethyl sulphoxide with 1-hexyl-2-methyl imidazolium bromide/1-octyl-2-methyl imidazolium bromide at different temperatures

Ionic liquids have gained attention as 'designer solvents' since they offer a broad spectrum of properties that can be tuned by altering the constituent ions. In this work, 1-alkyl-2-methyl imidazolium-based ionic liquids with two different alkyl chains (alkyl = hexyl and octyl) have been synthesized and characterized. Since the binary mixture of ionic liquids with molecular solvents can give rise to striking physicochemical properties, the interaction of the synthesized room temperature ionic liquids, 1-hexyl-2-methyl imidazolium bromide [HMIM][Br]/1-octyl-2-methyl imidazolium bromide [OMIM][Br] with DMSO has been examined through density and specific conductance at T = (303.15, 308.15, 313.15 and 318.15) K under atmospheric pressure. The obtained molar volume and excess molar volume are fitted to the Redlich-Kister polynomial equation, and the standard deviation is noted. The positive excess molar volume at elevated temperatures indicates volume expansion due to the mutual loss of dipolar association and differences in the sizes and shapes of the constituent molecules. To have a better understanding of the reactivity and efficacy of 1-hexyl-2-methyl imidazolium bromide and 1-octyl-2-methyl imidazolium bromide with DMSO, the Becke, 3-parameter, Lee-Yang-Parr (B3LYP) correlation function of density functional theory (DFT) has been used. The ORCA Program version 4.0 calculates the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy. The effective reactivities of both the compounds that showed an energy band gap (ΔE), i.e., the difference between ELUMO and EHOMO, are 7.147 and 8.037 kcal mol-1.

Nonmonotonic Influence of Size of Quaternary Ammonium Countercations on Micromorphology, Polarization, and Electroresponse of Anionic Poly(ionic liquid)s

The size influence of quaternary ammonium countercations in poly[4-styrenesulfonyl(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide][tetraalkylammonium] (P[STFSI][Nnnnn], n = 1, 2, and 3) poly(ionic liquid)s on dielectric polarization and the stimuli-responsive electrorheological effect is investigated by dielectric spectroscopy and rheology, and the microstructure-level understanding behind the influence is analyzed by Raman and X-ray scattering spectra. The size influence of quaternary ammonium cations is found to be nonmonotonic. The largest electrorheological effect accompanied by best polarization properties is demonstrated in P[STFSI][N2222]. Raman spectra and activation energy measurements demonstrate that the nonmonotonic influence originates from the fact that, compared to small N1111⁺ and large N3333⁺, intermediate N2222⁺ as countercations can contribute a higher mobile ion number and lower activation energy barrier of ion dissociation and motion. But the experimental values of activation energy are not consistent with theoretically calculated values by considering the ion pair electrostatic potential and elastic force contribution of the matrix. By X-ray scattering and diffraction characterizations, it is clarified that the nonmonotonic influence and the inconsistency of activation energy originate from the size influence of Nnnnn⁺ on the micromorphology of P[STFSI][Nnnnn]. Compared to the semicrystalline structure of P[STFSI][N1111] and the ionic aggregation structure of P[STFSI][N3333], the relatively uniform amorphous structure of P[STFSI][N2222] may be responsible for its lower activation energy barrier of ion motion. This study further provides insights into the design and preparation of future poly(ionic liquid)-based electrorheological materials by considering not only molecular structure but also micromorphology.

Antibacterial activities of N-alkyl imidazolium-based poly(ionic liquid) nanoparticles

N-Alkyl imidazolium-based PIL nanoparticles can effectively kill bacteria through adhering to the bacterial surface and then disrupting the cell membrane.