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Updated: May 29, 2026

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Effect of the aliphatic chain length on electrical double layer formation at the liquid/vacuum interface in the
Christiaan Ridings1, Vera Lockett, Gunther Andersson
1Flinders University, Flinders Centre for NanoScale Science and Technology, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia.
Abstract:
Neutral impact collision ion scattering spectroscopy (NICISS) was used to determine the surface structure of three ionic liquids, 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium [C(6)mim], 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium [C(8)mim], 1-decyl-3-methylimidazolium [C(10)mim] tetrafluoroborates [BF(4)]. Concentration depth profiles of the elements in an ionic liquid (IL) homologous series with a common anion were obtained. We show that separation between the oppositely charged ions is seen for all three ionic liquids, resulting in an electrical double layer formation. The surface charge shifts from more positive to more negative with increasing aliphatic chain length.
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