Screening Methodology for the Efficient Pairing of Ionic Liquids and Carbonaceous Electrodes Applied to Electric Energy Storage

A model is presented that correlates the measured electric capacitance with the energy that comprises the desolvation, dissociation and adsorption energy of an ionic liquid into carbonaceous electrode (represented by single-wall carbon nanotubes). An original methodology is presented that allows for the calculation of the adsorption energy of ions in a host system that does not necessarily compensate the total charge of the adsorbed ions, leaving an overall net charge. To obtain overall negative (favorable) energies, adsorption energies need to overcome the energy cost for desolvation of the ion pair and its dissociation into individual ions. Smaller ions, such as BF4 −, generally show larger dissociation energies than anions such as PF6 − or TFSI−. Adsorption energies gradually increase with decreasing pore size of the CNT and show a maximum when the pore size is slightly greater than the dimensions of the adsorbed ion and the attractive van der Waals forces dominate the interaction. At smaller pore diameters, the adsorption energy sharply declines and becomes repulsive as a result of geometry deformations of the ion. Only for those diameters where the adsorption reaches maximum values is the adsorption energy sufficiently negative to balance the positive dissociation and desolvation energies. We present for each ion (and ionic liquid) what the most adequate electrode pore size should be for maximum capacitance

Perfluorinated Alcohols at High Pressure: Experimental Liquid Density and Computer Simulations

The liquid density of five liquid 1H,1H-perfluorinated alcohols (CF3(CF2)n−1CH2OH n = 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) was measured as a function of pressure (0.1−70 MPa) and temperature (293.15−313.15 K). The corresponding isothermal compressibility and isobaric thermal expansivity coefficients were calculated from the experimental data. The results are compared with data from the literature for the equivalent hydrogenated alcohols. Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations were also performed, providing molecular-level insight into the experimental results, in particular about the H-bond network of the perfluorinated alcohols and the effect of pressure on the organization of the liquid

Nano-Segregation and Structuring in the Bulk and at the Surface of Ionic-Liquid Mixtures

Ionic-liquid (IL) mixtures hold great promise, as they allow liquids with a wide range of properties to be formed by mixing two common components, rather than by synthesizing a large array of pure ILs with different chemical structures. In addition, these mixtures can exhibit a range of properties and structural organization that depend on their composition, which opens up new possibilities for the composition-dependent control of IL properties for particular applications. However, the fundamental properties, structure and dynamics of IL mixtures are currently poorly understood, which limits their more widespread application. This paper presents the first comprehensive investigation into the bulk and surface properties of IL mixtures formed from two commonly encountered ILs: 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium and 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([C2mim][Tf2N] and [C12mim][Tf2N]). Physical property measurements (viscosity, conductivity and density) find that these IL mixtures are not well described by simple mixing laws, suggesting that their structure and dynamics are strongly composition-dependent. Small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS and SANS) measurements, alongside molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, show that at low mole fractions of [C12mim][Tf2N], the bulk of the IL is composed of small aggregates of [C12mim]+ ions in a [C2mim][Tf2N] matrix, which is driven by nano-segregation of the long alkyl chains and the polar parts of the IL. As the proportion of [C12mim][Tf2N] in the mixtures increases, the size and number of aggregates increases until the C12 alkyl chains percolate through the system and a bicontinuous network of polar and non-polar domains is formed. Reactive atom scattering-laser-induced fluorescence (RAS-LIF) experiments, also supported by MD simulations, have been used to probe the surface structure of these mixtures. It is found that the vacuum-IL interface is enriched significantly in C12 alkyl chains, even in mixtures low in the long-chain component. These data show, contrary to previous suggestions, that the [C12mim]+ ion is surface active in this binary IL mixture. However, the surface does not become saturated in C12 chains as its proportion in the mixtures increases and remains unsaturated in pure [C12mim][Tf2N]

Nanosegregation and Structuring in the Bulk and at the Surface of Ionic-Liquid Mixtures

Ionic-liquid (IL) mixtures hold great promise, as they allow liquids with a wide range of properties to be formed by mixing two common components, rather than by synthesizing a large array of pure ILs with different chemical structures. In addition, these mixtures can exhibit a range of properties and structural organization that depend on their composition, which opens up new possibilities for the composition-dependent control of IL properties for particular applications. However, the fundamental properties, structure and dynamics of IL mixtures are currently poorly understood, which limits their more widespread application. This paper presents the first comprehensive investigation into the bulk and surface properties of IL mixtures formed from two commonly encountered ILs: 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium and 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([C2mim][Tf2N] and [C12mim][Tf2N]). Physical property measurements (viscosity, conductivity and density) find that these IL mixtures are not well described by simple mixing laws, suggesting that their structure and dynamics are strongly composition-dependent. Small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS and SANS) measurements, alongside molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, show that at low mole fractions of [C12mim][Tf2N], the bulk of the IL is composed of small aggregates of [C12mim]+ ions in a [C2mim][Tf2N] matrix, which is driven by nano-segregation of the long alkyl chains and the polar parts of the IL. As the proportion of [C12mim][Tf2N] in the mixtures increases, the size and number of aggregates increases until the C12 alkyl chains percolate through the system and a bicontinuous network of polar and non-polar domains is formed. Reactive atom scattering-laser-induced fluorescence (RAS-LIF) experiments, also supported by MD simulations, have been used to probe the surface structure of these mixtures. It is found that the vacuum-IL interface is enriched significantly in C12 alkyl chains, even in mixtures low in the long-chain component. These data show, contrary to previous suggestions, that the [C12mim]+ ion is surface active in this binary IL mixture. However, the surface does not become saturated in C12 chains as its proportion in the mixtures increases and remains unsaturated in pure [C12mim][Tf2N]

Molecular dynamics simulation studies of the interactions between ionic liquids and amino acids in aqueous solution

Although the understanding of the influence of ionic liquids (ILs) on the solubility behavior of biomolecules in aqueous solutions is relevant for the design and optimization of novel biotechnological processes, the underlying molecular-level mechanisms are not yet consensual or clearly elucidated. In order to contribute to the understanding of the molecular interactions established between amino acids and ILs in aqueous media, classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed for aqueous solutions of five amino acids with different structural characteristics (glycine, alanine, valine, isoleucine, and glutamic acid) in the presence of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl imide. The results from MD simulations enable to relate the properties of the amino acids, namely their hydrophobicity, to the type and strength of their interactions with ILs in aqueous solutions and provide an explanation for the direction and magnitude of the solubility phenomena observed in [IL + amino acid + water] systems by a mechanism governed by a balance between competitive interactions of the IL cation, IL anion, and water with the amino acids

Ionic liquids at electrified interfaces

Until recently, “room-temperature” (<100–150 °C) liquid-state electrochemistry was mostly electrochemistry of diluted electrolytes(1)–(4) where dissolved salt ions were surrounded by a considerable amount of solvent molecules. Highly concentrated liquid electrolytes were mostly considered in the narrow (albeit important) niche of high-temperature electrochemistry of molten inorganic salts(5-9) and in the even narrower niche of “first-generation” room temperature ionic liquids, RTILs (such as chloro-aluminates and alkylammonium nitrates).(10-14) The situation has changed dramatically in the 2000s after the discovery of new moisture- and temperature-stable RTILs.(15, 16) These days, the “later generation” RTILs attracted wide attention within the electrochemical community.(17-31) Indeed, RTILs, as a class of compounds, possess a unique combination of properties (high charge density, electrochemical stability, low/negligible volatility, tunable polarity, etc.) that make them very attractive substances from fundamental and application points of view.(32-38) Most importantly, they can mix with each other in “cocktails” of one’s choice to acquire the desired properties (e.g., wider temperature range of the liquid phase(39, 40)) and can serve as almost “universal” solvents.(37, 41, 42) It is worth noting here one of the advantages of RTILs as compared to their high-temperature molten salt (HTMS)(43) “sister-systems”.(44) In RTILs the dissolved molecules are not imbedded in a harsh high temperature environment which could be destructive for many classes of fragile (organic) molecules