An inelastic neutron scattering, Raman, far-infrared, and molecular dynamics study of the intermolecular dynamics of two ionic liquids.

The intermolecular dynamics in the THz frequency range of the ionic liquids n-butyl-trimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, [N1114][NTf2], and methyl-tributylammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, [N1444][NTf2], were investigated by a combined usage of inelastic neutron scattering (INS), Raman, and far-infrared (FIR) spectroscopies and the power spectrum calculated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The collective dynamics of the simulated systems is also discussed by the calculation of time correlation functions of charge and mass currents that are projected onto acoustic- and optic-like motions. The INS and Raman measurements have been performed as a function of temperature in the glassy, crystalline, and liquid phases. The excess in the vibrational density of states over the expectation of the Debye theory, the so-called boson peak, is found in the INS and Raman spectra as a peak at ∼2 meV (∼16 cm-1) and also in the direct measurement of heat capacity at very low temperatures (4-20 K). This low-frequency vibration is incorporated into the curve fits of Raman, FIR, and MD data at room temperature. Fits of spectra from these different sources in the range below 100 cm-1 are consistently achieved with three components at ca. 25, 50, and 80 cm-1, but with distinct relative intensities among the different techniques. It is proposed as the collective nature of the lowest-frequency component and the anion-cation intermolecular vibration nature of the highest-frequency component. The MD results indicate that there is no clear distinction between acoustic and optic vibrations in the spectral range investigated in this work for the ionic liquids [N1114][NTf2] and [N1444][NTf2]. The analysis carried out here agrees in part, but not entirely, with other propositions in the literature, mainly from optical Kerr effect (OKE) and FIR spectroscopies, concerning the intermolecular dynamics of ionic liquids.

Vibrational Spectroscopy of Ionic Liquids.

Vibrational spectroscopy has continued use as a powerful tool to characterize ionic liquids since the literature on room temperature molten salts experienced the rapid increase in number of publications in the 1990's. In the past years, infrared (IR) and Raman spectroscopies have provided insights on ionic interactions and the resulting liquid structure in ionic liquids. A large body of information is now available concerning vibrational spectra of ionic liquids made of many different combinations of anions and cations, but reviews on this literature are scarce. This review is an attempt at filling this gap. Some basic care needed while recording IR or Raman spectra of ionic liquids is explained. We have reviewed the conceptual basis of theoretical frameworks which have been used to interpret vibrational spectra of ionic liquids, helping the reader to distinguish the scope of application of different methods of calculation. Vibrational frequencies observed in IR and Raman spectra of ionic liquids based on different anions and cations are discussed and eventual disagreements between different sources are critically reviewed. The aim is that the reader can use this information while assigning vibrational spectra of an ionic liquid containing another particular combination of anions and cations. Different applications of IR and Raman spectroscopies are given for both pure ionic liquids and solutions. Further issues addressed in this review are the intermolecular vibrations that are more directly probed by the low-frequency range of IR and Raman spectra and the applications of vibrational spectroscopy in studying phase transitions of ionic liquids.

Communication: Glass transition and melting lines of an ionic liquid.

The phase diagram of the ionic liquid 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesufonyl)imide, [Pyrr1,4][NTf2], was explored by synchroton X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering measurements as a function of temperature and pressure. Glass transition Tg(p) and melting Tm(p) temperatures were obtained from atmospheric pressure up to ca. 2.0 GPa. We found that both the Tg(p) and Tm(p) curves follow essentially the same pressure dependence. The similarity of pressure coefficients, dTg/dp ≈ dTm/dp, is explained within the non-equilibrium thermodynamics approach for the glass transition by assuming that one of the Ehrenfest equations is appropriated for Tg(p), whereas Tm(p) follows the Clausius-Clapeyron equation valid for the first-order transitions. The results highlight that ionic liquids are excellent model systems to address fundamental questions related to the glass transition.

Comparing two tetraalkylammonium ionic liquids. I. Liquid phase structure.

X-ray scattering experiments at room temperature were performed for the ionic liquids n-butyl-trimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, [N1114][NTf2], and methyl-tributylammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, [N1444][NTf2]. The peak in the diffraction data characteristic of charge ordering in [N1444][NTf2] is shifted to longer distances in comparison to [N1114][NTf2], but the peak characteristic of short-range correlations is shifted in [N1444][NTf2] to shorter distances. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed for these ionic liquids using force fields available from the literature, although with new sets of partial charges for [N1114](+) and [N1444](+) proposed in this work. The shifting of charge and adjacency peaks to opposite directions in these ionic liquids was found in the static structure factor, S(k), calculated by MD simulations. Despite differences in cation sizes, the MD simulations unravel that anions are allowed as close to [N1444](+) as to [N1114](+) because anions are located in between the angle formed by the butyl chains. The more asymmetric molecular structure of the [N1114](+) cation implies differences in partial structure factors calculated for atoms belonging to polar or non-polar parts of [N1114][NTf2], whereas polar and non-polar structure factors are essentially the same in [N1444][NTf2]. Results of this work shed light on controversies in the literature on the liquid structure of tetraalkylammonium based ionic liquids.

Comparing two tetraalkylammonium ionic liquids. II. Phase transitions.

Phase transitions of the ionic liquids n-butyl-trimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, [N1114][NTf2], and methyl-tributylammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, [N1444][NTf2], were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, and Raman spectroscopy. XRD and Raman spectra were obtained as a function of temperature at atmospheric pressure, and also under high pressure at room temperature using a diamond anvil cell (DAC). [N1444][NTf2] experiences glass transition at low temperature, whereas [N1114][NTf2] crystallizes or not depending on the cooling rate. Both the ionic liquids exhibit glass transition under high pressure. XRD and low-frequency Raman spectra provide a consistent physical picture of structural ordering-disordering accompanying the thermal events of crystallization, glass transition, cold crystallization, pre-melting, and melting. Raman spectra in the high-frequency range of some specific cation and anion normal modes reveal conformational changes of the molecular structures along phase transitions.

Structure of cyano-anion ionic liquids: X-ray scattering and simulations.

Ionic liquids with cyano anions have long been used because of their unique combination of low-melting temperatures, reduced viscosities, and increased conductivities. Recently we have shown that cyano anions in ionic liquids are particularly interesting for their potential use as electron donors to excited state photo-acceptors [B. Wu et al., J. Phys. Chem. B 119, 14790-14799 (2015)]. Here we report on bulk structural and quantum mechanical results for a series of ionic liquids based on the 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium cation, paired with the following five cyano anions: SeCN(-), SCN(-), N(CN)2 (-), C(CN)3 (-), and B(CN)4 (-). By combining molecular dynamics simulations, high-energy X-ray scattering measurements, and periodic boundary condition DFT calculations, we are able to obtain a comprehensive description of the liquid landscape as well as the nature of the HOMO-LUMO states for these ionic liquids in the condensed phase. Features in the structure functions for these ionic liquids are somewhat different than the commonly observed adjacency, charge-charge, and polarity peaks, especially for the bulkiest B(CN)4 (-) anion. While the other four cyano-anion ionic liquids present an anionic HOMO, the one for Im2,1 (+)/B(CN)4 (-) is cationic.

Pressure and temperature effects on intermolecular vibrational dynamics of ionic liquids.

Low frequency Raman spectra of ionic liquids have been obtained as a function of pressure up to ca. 4.0 GPa at room temperature and as a function of temperature along the supercooled liquid and glassy state at atmospheric pressure. Intermolecular vibrations are observed at ~20, ~70, and ~100 cm(-1) at room temperature in ionic liquids based on 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium cations. The component at ~100 cm(-1) is assigned to librational motion of the imidazolium ring because it is absent in non-aromatic ionic liquids. There is a correspondence between the position of intermolecular vibrational modes in the normal liquid state and the spectral features that the Raman spectra exhibit after partial crystallization of samples at low temperatures or high pressures. The pressure-induced frequency shift of the librational mode is larger than the other two components that exhibit similar frequency shifts. The lowest frequency vibration observed in a glassy state corresponds to the boson peak observed in light and neutron scattering spectra of glass-formers. The frequency of the boson peak is not dependent on the length scale of polar∕non-polar heterogeneity of ionic liquids, it depends instead on the strength of anion-cation interaction. As long as the boson peak is assigned to a mixing between localized modes and transverse acoustic excitations of high wavevectors, it is proposed that the other component observed in Raman spectra of ionic liquids has a partial character of longitudinal acoustic excitations.

Structure and Reactivity of the Ionic Liquid 1-Allyl-3-methylimidazolium Iodide under High Pressure.

Poly(ionic liquid)s are an interesting class of compounds because of their unique chemical and physical properties gathering the characteristics of ionic liquids and polymers. Pressure and temperature have been demonstrated to be alternative parameters to obtain polymers from monomeric species using only physical tools. In this work, we investigate the reaction under high pressure and room temperature of the ionic liquid 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide by using the diamond anvil cell technique in combination with synchrotron X-ray diffraction and electronic and vibrational spectroscopies. The results indicate a chemical reaction happening through the terminal double bond of the allyl group both in crystalline and glassy phases with the onset of the reaction around ∼7 GPa. Vibrational spectra present evidence for an oligomerization reaction in both the phases. The reaction occurring both in glassy and crystal phases indicates a mechanism not driven by collective motions and likely related to local topological arrangements. The results presented herein extend our understanding of ionic liquid instability boundaries under high pressure and contribute to the development of alternative synthetic routes to achieve poly(ionic liquids).

Ultraslow Phase Transitions in an Anion-Anion Hydrogen-Bonded Ionic Liquid.

A Raman spectroscopy study of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate, [C2C1im][HSO4], as a function of temperature, has been performed to reveal the role played by anion-anion hydrogen bond on the phase transitions of this ionic liquid. Anion-anion hydrogen bonding implies high viscosity, good glass-forming ability, and also moderate fragility of [C2C1im][HSO4] in comparison with other ionic liquids. Heating [C2C1im][HSO4] from the glassy phase results in cold crystallization at ∼245 K. A solid-solid transition (crystal I → crystal II) is barely discernible in calorimetric measurements at typical heating rates, but it is clearly revealed by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Raman spectroscopy indicates that crystal I has extended ([HSO4]-)n chains of hydrogen-bonded anions but crystal II has not. Raman spectra recorded at isothermal condition show the ultraslow dynamics of cold crystallization, solid-solid transition, and continuous melting of [C2C1im][HSO4]. A brief comparison is also provided between [C2C1im][HSO4] and [C4C1im][HSO4], as Raman spectroscopy shows that the latter does not form the crystalline phase with extended anion-anion chains.

Unraveling the Stepwise Melting of an Ionic Liquid.

Differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy were used to reveal the premelting events precursors of melting of the ionic liquid triethylsulfonium bis(trifluoromethanesufonyl)imide, [S222][NTf2]. On heating the crystalline phase of [S222][NTf2], melting occurs along a sequence of at least three steps. First, the crystalline long-range order breaks down, but local order is retained. The second step is characterized by conformational freedom of the ethyl chains of cations related to premelting of nonpolar domains, and the complete melting finally occurs when anions acquire conformational freedom. This work provides a microscopic view on the mechanism of melting of [S222][NTf2] in line with the picture of melting taking place as a sequence of structural changes. The results of this work shed light on the understanding of the complex melting process of ionic liquids.

Local Order-Disorder Transition Driving by Structural Heterogeneity in a Benzyl Functionalized Ionic Liquid.

A local order-disorder transition has been disclosed in the thermophysical behavior of the ionic liquid 1-benzyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide, [Bzmim][N(CN)2], and its microscopic nature revealed by spectroscopic techniques. Differential scanning calorimetry and specific heat measurements show a thermal event of small enthalpy variation taking place in the range 250-260 K, which is not due to crystallization or melting. Molecular dynamic simulations and X-ray diffraction measurements have been used to discuss the segregation of domains in the liquid structure of [Bzmim][N(CN)2]. Raman and NMR spectroscopy measurements as a function of temperature indicate that the microscopic origin of the event observed in the calorimetric measurements comes from structural rearrangement involving the benzyl group. The results indicate that the characteristic structural heterogeneity allow for rearrangements within local domains implying the good glass-forming ability for the low viscosity ionic liquid [Bzmim][N(CN)2]. This work sheds light on our understanding of the microscopic origin behind complex thermal behavior of ionic liquids.

Triggering the Chemical Instability of an Ionic Liquid under High Pressure.

Ionic liquids are an interesting class of materials due to their distinguished properties, allowing their use in an impressive range of applications, from catalysis to hypergolic fuels. However, the reactivity triggered by the application of high pressure can give rise to a new class of materials, which is not achieved under normal conditions. Here, we report on the high-pressure chemical instability of the ionic liquid 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide, [allylC1im][N(CN)2], probed by both Raman and IR techniques and supported by quantum chemical calculations. Our results show a reaction occurring above 8 GPa, involving the terminal double bond of the allyl group, giving rise to an oligomeric product. The results presented herein contribute to our understanding of the stability of ionic liquids, which is of paramount interest for engineering applications. Moreover, gaining insight into this peculiar kind of reactivity could lead to the development of new or alternative synthetic routes to achieve, for example, poly(ionic liquids).

Phase Transitions of Triflate-Based Ionic Liquids under High Pressure.

Raman spectroscopy has been used to study phase transitions of ionic liquids based on the triflate anion, [TfO](-), as a function of pressure or temperature. Raman spectra of ionic liquids containing the cations 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium, [C4C1Im](+), 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium, [C8C1Im](+), 1-butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium, [C4C1C1Im](+), and 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium, [C4C1Pyr](+), were compared. Vibrational frequencies and binding energy of ionic pairs were calculated by quantum chemistry methods. The ionic liquids [C4C1Im][TfO] and [C4C1Pyr][TfO] crystallize at 1.0 GPa when the pressure is increased in steps of ∼ 0.2 GPa from the atmospheric pressure, whereas [C8C1Im][TfO] and [C4C1C1Im][TfO] do not crystallize up to 2.3 GPa of applied pressure. The low-frequency range of the Raman spectrum of [C4C1Im][TfO] indicates that the system undergoes glass transition, rather than crystallization, when the pressure applied on the liquid has been increased above 2.0 GPa in a single step. Strong hysteresis of spectral features (frequency shift and bandwidth) of the high-pressure crystalline phase when the pressure was released stepwise back to the atmospheric pressure has been found .

Raman spectroscopic study of temperature and pressure effects on the ionic liquid propylammonium nitrate.

Raman spectroscopy has been used to decipher structural rearrangements in the protic ionic liquid propylammonium nitrate, [C3H7NH3][NO3], as a function of temperature (180-420 K) at atmospheric pressure and as a function of pressure (0.1 MPa-2.0 GPa) at room temperature. Spectral modifications of the Raman bands belonging to the anion and cation normal modes indicate structural changes occurring in both the polar and nonpolar nanoscale domains of [C3H7NH3][NO3]. The crystalline phase of [C3H7NH3][NO3] at low temperature has cations in the anti conformation and undertakes a transition with increasing temperature to a phase with cations mostly in the gauche conformation. The distorted network of hydrogen bonds gives a distribution of local environments around the anions that remains in the normal liquid phase at high temperature. The sample under high pressure might become microscopically heterogeneous, allowing for micro-Raman imaging of different ordered phases of [C3H7NH3][NO3] in a diamond anvil cell.

Thermal analysis and Raman spectra of different phases of the ionic liquid butyltrimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide.

The ionic liquid butyltrimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, [C(4)C(1)C(1)C(1)N][Tf(2)N], is a glass-forming liquid that exhibits partial crystallization depending on the cooling rate. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicates crystallization at T(c) = 227 K, melting at T(m) = 258 K, glass transition at T(g) ~ 191 K, and also cold crystallization at T(cc) ~ 219 K. Raman spectroscopy shows that the crystalline structure obtained by slow cooling is formed with [Tf(2)N](-) in cisoid conformation, whereas [Tf(2)N](-) in transoid conformation results from fast cooling. No preferred conformation of the butyl chain of the [C(4)C(1)C(1)C(1)N](+) cation is favored by slow or fast cooling of [C(4)C(1)C(1)C(1)N][Tf(2)N]. Low-frequency Raman spectroscopy shows that crystalline domains developing in the supercooled liquid result in a glacial state made of a mixture of crystallites and amorphous phase. However, these crystalline structures obtained by slow cooling or cold crystallization are not the same because anion-cation interactions promote local structures with distinct conformations of the [Tf(2)N](-) anion.