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Updated: Jun 27, 2026

From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding
Published on: March 24, 2018
Novel cyclic sulfonium-based ionic liquids: synthesis, characterization, and physicochemical properties.
Qinghua Zhang1, Shimin Liu, Zuopeng Li
1Centre for Green Chemistry and Catalysis, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
New cyclic sulfonium ionic liquids offer tunable properties. Some exhibit plastic crystal behavior and high refractive indices, while others show low viscosity and high conductivity, outperforming traditional salts.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Physical Chemistry
- Electrochemistry
Background:
- Ionic liquids (ILs) are versatile solvents and electrolytes.
- Cyclic sulfonium cations offer unique structural possibilities for IL design.
- Understanding structure-property relationships in ILs is crucial for applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- Synthesize and characterize novel ionic liquids based on cyclic sulfonium cations.
- Investigate the comprehensive physicochemical properties of these new ILs.
- Compare their properties to traditional ionic liquids for potential applications.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of three cyclic sulfonium cations and four anions.
- Characterization of physicochemical properties: spectroscopic, thermal, rheological, conductive, electrochemical.
- Analysis of phase transitions and surface properties.
Main Results:
- Eight novel ionic liquids are liquid at room temperature.
- Saccharin-based salts show high refractive indices (1.442-1.594).
- DCA-based ILs exhibit low viscosity (34.2-62.6 mPa s) and high conductivity (7.6-17.6 mS cm(-1)).
- NTf(2)-based ILs show unique FTIR and UV/Vis spectra.
- Some NO(3)- and NTf(2)-based salts display plastic crystal behavior.
Conclusions:
- The synthesized cyclic sulfonium ionic liquids possess diverse and tunable properties.
- These novel ILs demonstrate potential for applications requiring specific optical, rheological, or conductive characteristics.
- Their performance, particularly conductivity and viscosity, surpasses many conventional ionic liquids.
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