A magnetic self-contained thermochromic system with convenient temperature range

A new ionic liquid with sugar-based ligand has been prepared and used to coordinate cobalt(II), at low loading, in an ionic liquid solution. The system obtained reveals magnetic switching and marked thermochromism in solution/polymer films over a convenient temperature range (20–60 °C). This system is self-contained, devoid of any volatile substances, and reproducible over multiple thermal cycles. The colour change can be attributed to a change in the coordination geometry from octahedral (pink) at room temperature to tetrahedral (blue) on warming, monitored by 59Co NMR spectroscopy, which was used for the first time to study the change. This material may find applications in stimuli-respon…

“Sweet” ionic liquid gels: materials for sweetening of fuels

The search for new materials to be used in desulfurisation (sweetening) of fuels is one of the main topics of current research. In this paper, we explored the possibility of using supramolecular gels obtained from the gelation of ionic liquid binary mixtures. Indeed, some ionic liquids are generally known as efficient extraction phases for desulfurisation of fuels. In rare cases, one of their main drawbacks is their partial solubility in the fuel, leading to contamination. Then, their immobilisation due to the formation of a gelatinous network may be a challenge. Ionic liquid gels were obtained by mixing certain [NTf2]−-based ionic liquids (solvents) with the ones of gluconate-based ionic l…

When the functionalisation comes in useful: ionic liquids with a “sweet” appended moiety demonstrate drastically reduced toxicological effects

The growing number of applications of ionic liquids (ILs) in industry have brought attention to the green credentials of synthesis, as well as their cytotoxicities and ecotoxicities both for their use and accidental leakage into the environment. With the abovementioned properties in mind, we designed a class of ILs with either cations bearing a gluconamide motif and aliphatic side chains or the anion incorporating a gluconic acid (derived from food waste) moiety. An IL with an imidazolium cation with an appended gluconic amide (bearing five hydroxyl groups) moiety was also synthesized for a useful comparison. Different structural features were considered, placing emphasis on the nature and …

"Sweet" Ionic Liquids Gels: Properties and Applications

Ionic Liquids-Cobalt (II) Thermochromic Complexes: How the Structure Tunability Affects "Self-contained" Systems

With the aim of obtaining thermochromic systems with potential applications in solar energy storage, we evaluated the behavior of some sugar-based ionic liquids (ILs)–Co(NTf₂)₂ complexes, in IL solution, as a function of temperature. Different structural changes on the cation, the nature of the anion, and the nature of the IL used as the solvent were considered. The analysis of the above factors was carried out through a combined approach of different techniques, that is, variable temperature UV–vis and NMR spectroscopies, conductivity, and thermal gravimetric analysis. The thermochromic systems were analyzed both as solutions and as thin films, and the data collected highlight the defining…

Sweet Ionic Liquid based Materials for Environmental Applications

Solution and thermal behaviour of novel dicationic imidazolium ionic liquids

A new class of functionalised dicationic ionic liquids, containing a central cationic unit capped by a basic functionality (imidazole), has been synthesised. These salts have been characterised in isotropic solution using proton and 2D-NMR spectroscopy, and their thermal stability has been studied by DSC and TGA. All these novel salts contain the 1-(1-imidazolylmethyl)-3,5-di{1-(3'-octylimidazolylmethyl)}-benzene cation as a defining structural motif. Salts of both singly and doubly charged anions were prepared and, in particular, the selected monoanions (Br(-), [BF4](-), or [NTf2](-)) differ in size, shape and hydrogen-bonding ability, whereas the dianions differ in the nature of the space…

Anomalous and Not-So-Common Behavior in Common Ionic Liquids and Ionic Liquid-Containing Systems

This work highlights unexpected, not so well known responses of ionic liquids and ionic liquid-containing systems, which are reported in a collective manner, as a short review. Examples include: (i) Minima in the temperature dependence of the isobaric thermal expansion coefficient of some ILs; (ii) Viscosity Minima in binary mixtures of IL + Molecular solvents; (iii) Anomalies in the surface tension within a family of ILs; (iv) The constancy among IL substitution of Cp/Vm at and around room temperature; (v) ILs as glass forming liquids; (vi) Alternate odd-even side alkyl chain length effects; (vii) Absolute negative pressures in ILs and IL-containing systems; (viii) Reversed-charged ionic l…