Nanoscale Segregation in Room Temperature Ionic Liquids

• DOI: 10.1021/jp067705t
• Publication Date: 2007-02-28T12:24:38Z
• Authors: Alessandro Triolo; Olga Russina; Hans-Jurgen Bleif; Emanuela Di Cola
• Keywords: Supercooling; Nanometre

Room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) are organic salts that characterized by low melting points. They considered to possess a homogeneous microscopic structure. We provide the first experimental evidence of existence nanoscale heterogeneities in neat liquid and supercooled RTILs, such as 1-alkyl-3-methyl imidazolium-based salts, using X-ray diffraction. These order few nanometers their size is proportional alkyl chain length. results strong support findings from recent molecular dynamics simulations, which proposed occurrence nanostructures consequence chains segregation. Moreover, our study addresses issue temperature dependence size, showing behavior resembles density one only below glass transition, thus suggesting complex above this temperature. will novel interpretation approach for unique chemical physical properties RTILs.