Phase behaviour and aggregate structures of the surface-active ionic liquid [BMIm][AOT] in water

Zhang, YX; Marlow, JB; Wood, K; Wang, J; Warr, GG; Li, H; Atkin, R

Phase behaviour and aggregate structures of the surface-active ionic liquid [BMIm][AOT] in water

Date

2023-12-15

Authors

Publisher

Elsevier B.V.

Abstract

Hypothesis: The surface-active ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium 1,4-bis-2-ethylhexylsulfosuccinate ([BMIm][AOT]), has a sponge-like bulk nanostructure consisting of percolating polar and apolar domains formed by the ion charge groups and alkyl chains, respectively. We hypothesise that added water will swell the polar domains and change the liquid nanostructure. Experiments: Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and polarizing optical microscopy (POM) were used to investigate the nanostructure of [BMIm][AOT] as a function of water content. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was employed to probe the thermal transitions of [BMIm][AOT]-water mixtures and the mobility of water molecules. Findings: SAXS, SANS and POM show that at lower water contents, [BMIm][AOT]-water mixtures have a sponge-like nanostructure similar to the pure SAIL, at medium water contents a lamellar phase forms, and at high water contents vesicles form. DSC results reveal that water molecules are supercooled in the lamellar phase. For the first time, results reveal a series of transitions from inverse sponge, to lamellar then to vesicles, for [BMIm][AOT] upon dilution with water. © 2023 Elsevier Inc.

Keywords

Water, Liquids, Nanostructures, Small angle scattering, Molecules, Scattering, Surfactants

Citation

Zhang, Y., Marlow, J. B., Wood, K., Wang, J., Warr, G. G., Li, H., & Atkin, R. (2023). Phase behaviour and aggregate structures of the surface-active ionic liquid [BMIm][AOT] in water. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 652, Part A, 749-757. doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2023.08.049