Expanding the Applicability of Poly(Ionic Liquids) in Solid Phase Microextraction: Pyrrolidinium Coatings

Crosslinked pyrrolidinium-based poly(ionic liquids) (Pyrr-PILs) were synthesized through a fast, simple, and solventless photopolymerization scheme, and tested as solid phase microextraction (SPME) sorbents. A series of Pyrr-PILs bearing three different alkyl side chain lengths with two, eight, and fourteen carbons was prepared, characterized, and homogeneously coated on a steel wire by using a very simple procedure. The resulting coatings showed a high thermal stability, with decomposition temperatures above 350 degrees C, excellent film stability, and lifetime of over 100 injections. The performance of these PIL-based SPME fibers was evaluated using a mixture of eleven organic compounds with different molar volumes and chemical functionalities (alcohols, ketones, and monoterpenes). The Pyrr-PIL fibers were obtained as dense film coatings, with 67 mu m thickness, with an overall sorption increase of 90% and 55% as compared to commercial fibers of Polyacrylate (85 mu m) (PA85) and Polydimethylsiloxane (7 mu m) (PDMS7) coatings, respectively. A urine sample doped with the sample mixture was used to study the matrix effect and establish relative recoveries, which ranged from 60.2% to 104.1%.David J. S. Patinha, and Liliana C. Tome are grateful to FCT (Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia) for the PhD research grant SFRH/BD/97042/2013 and the Post-Doctoral research grant (SFRH/BPD/101793/2014), respectively. David J. S. Patinha also thanks the financial support from COST-Exil Project 1206. The NMR data was acquired at CERMAX (Centro de Ressonncia Magnetica Antnio Xavier) which is a member of the National NMR network. This work was partially supported by FCT through Research Unit GREEN-it " Bioresources for Sustainability" (UID/Multi/04551/2013) and the Associate Laboratory CICECO Aveiro Institute of materials (UID/CTM/50011/2013)

Thin Porous Poly(ionic liquid) Coatings for Enhanced Headspace Solid Phase Microextraction

In this contribution, thin poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) coatings with a well-defined pore structure built up from interpolyelectrolyte complexation between a PIL and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) were successfully used for enhanced solid phase microextraction (SPME). The introduction of porosity with tunable polarity through the highly versatile PIL chemistry clearly boosts the potential of SPME in the detection of compounds at rather low concentrations. This work will inspire researchers to further explore the potential of porous poly(ionic liquid) materials in sensing and separation applications

New Low-Toxicity Cholinium-Based Ionic Liquids with Perfluoroalkanoate Anions for Aqueous Biphasic System Implementation

This work explores the widening of properties of cholinium-based ionic liquids (ILs) through their combination with perfluoroalkanoate anions so that higher number of aqueous biphasic systems (ABSs) containing nontoxic cholinium-based ILs is available. For that purpose, six cholinium perfluoroalkanoate ILs were synthesized and their cytotoxicity was evaluated using three different animal cell lines, envisaging biotechnology applications. Ternary phase equilibrium data for ABSs composed of the cholinium perfluoroalkanoate, with fluoroalkyl chains from C₂ up to C₇, using a strong salting out agent, K₃PO₄, were determined at 25 °C. The results show the relevant role of the size of fluorinated alkyl chain length in the anion since, contrary to other ABSs containing ILs with increasing alkyl chain length in the anion, the ABSs with cholinium perfluoroalkanoates present well-spaced solubility curves, allowing the conclusion that these ABSs can be tuned by a proper choice of the IL. The phase splitting mechanism was also disclosed through water activity measurements