Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 6, 2026

From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding
Published on: March 24, 2018
Hexagonal liquid crystalline phases formed in ternary systems of Brij 97-water-ionic liquids
Zhongni Wang1, Feng Liu, Yanan Gao
1Key Laboratory for Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Shandong University, Ministry of Education, Jinan 250100, People's Republic of China. zhongniw@hotmail.com
Abstract:
Phase diagrams of two ionic liquids: hydrophobic 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (bmim-PF(6)) and relatively hydrophilic 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (bmim-BF(4)) in aqueous solutions of Brij 97 were determined at 25 degrees C. Two hexagonal liquid crystalline phases formed in bmim-PF(6)- and bmim-BF(4)-containing ternary systems were investigated by means of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and rheological techniques, with comparison of composition and temperature effects. From analysis of the SAXS data, bmim-PF(6) is dominantly penetrated between the oxyethylene chains of surfactant molecules, whereas bmim-BF(4) is mainly located in the water layer of hexagonal phases. The strength of the network of hexagonal phase formed in the Brij 97/water/bmim-BF(4) system is appreciably stronger than that of the Brij 97/water/bmim-PF(6) system, indicated by the smaller area of the surfactant molecule at the interface and the higher moduli (G', G' '). Temperature has a converse effect on the lattice parameters of the two hexagonal phases.
Related Concept Videos
Ionic Crystal Structures
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...
Metallic Solids
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability. Many...
Two Components: Liquid–Liquid Systems
Nonideal Two-Component Liquid Solutions
Liquid–Solid Solutions
Phase Diagrams of Ternary Systems

