Interfacial structuring of non-halogenated imidazolium ionic liquids at charged surfaces : effect of alkyl chain length

Control of the interfacial structures of ionic liquids (ILs) at charged interfaces is important to many of their applications, including in energy storage solutions, sensors and advanced lubrication technologies utilising electric fields. In the case of the latter, there is an increasing demand for the study of non-halogenated ILs, as many fluorinated anions have been found to produce corrosive and toxic halides under tribological conditions. Here, the interfacial structuring of a series of four imidazolium ILs ([C(n)C(1)Im]) of varying alkyl chain lengths (n = 5, 6, 7, 10), with a non-halogenated borate-based anion ([BOB]), have been studied at charged interfaces using sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy and neutron reflectivity (NR). For all alkyl chain lengths, the SFG spectra show that the cation imidazolium ring responds to the surface charge by modifying its orientation with respect to the surface normal. In addition, the combination of SFG spectra with electrochemical NR measurements reveals that the longest alkyl chain length (n = 10) forms a bilayer structure at all charged interfaces, independent of the ring orientation. These results demonstrate the tunability of IL interfacial layers through the use of surface charge, as well as effect of the cation alkyl chain length, and provide valuable insight into the charge compensation mechanisms of ILs

Nanoscale diffusion in Pt/56Fe/57Fe thin-film system

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Neutron and synchrotron radiation for science and technology symposium

Co-organisation d'un Symposium international dans le cadre du réseau européen MaMi - magnetics and microhydrodynamics Innovative Training Network ITN Horizon H2020 MAMI : Symposium Neutron & Synchrotron Radiation for Science & Technology. Conférence CEA du 13/12/2021 au 14/12/202

Field-induced chirality in the helix structure of Ho/Y multilayers

We study the net chirality in the spin helix structure of Ho/Y multilayers induced by an in-plane applied magnetic field. The lifting of degeneracy of the chiral symmetry was revealed by means of polarized neutron reflectometry. Three samples of different thicknesses of the Ho and Y layers were grown by molecular-beam epitaxy. The chiral states are degenerated upon zero field cooling below the critical temperature TN=115±3 K. The chirality parameter γ rises during the field cooling procedure in the field range from 0 to 1 T and saturates at a value of 0.12±0.01. The chirality appears stepwise below TN and depends weakly on temperature. The phenomenon is interpreted in terms of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction appearing at the interface between the Ho and Y layers

Field-induced chirality in the helix structure of Ho/Y multilayers

We study the net chirality in the spin helix structure of Ho/Y multilayers induced by an in-plane applied magnetic field. The lifting of degeneracy of the chiral symmetry was revealed by means of polarized neutron reflectometry. Three samples of different thicknesses of the Ho and Y layers were grown by molecular-beam epitaxy. The chiral states are degenerated upon zero field cooling below the critical temperature TN=115±3 K. The chirality parameter γ rises during the field cooling procedure in the field range from 0 to 1 T and saturates at a value of 0.12±0.01. The chirality appears stepwise below TN and depends weakly on temperature. The phenomenon is interpreted in terms of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction appearing at the interface between the Ho and Y layers