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Molecular and Ionic Solids

Molecular and Ionic Solids

Crystalline solids are divided into four types: molecular, ionic, metallic, and covalent network based on the type of constituent units and their interparticle interactions.
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Molecular crystalline solids, such as ice, sucrose (table sugar), and iodine, are solids that are composed of neutral molecules as their constituent units. These molecules are held together by weak intermolecular forces such as London dispersion forces, dipole-dipole interactions, or hydrogen bonds, which...

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Updated: Aug 22, 2025

Liquid-cell Transmission Electron Microscopy for Tracking Self-assembly of Nanoparticles

Liquid-cell Transmission Electron Microscopy for Tracking Self-assembly of Nanoparticles

Published on: October 16, 2017

Extremely slow dynamics of ionic liquid self-assembled nanostructures near a solid surface.

Hua Li¹, Jianan Wang², Gregory G Warr³

¹School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.

Journal of Colloid and Interface Science

|November 7, 2022

Summary

Ionic liquid (IL) nanostructures near surfaces move slowly, behaving like adsorbed aggregates rather than free liquids. This finding, visualized with video-rate atomic force microscopy (AFM), impacts electrolyte interfacial dynamics.

Keywords:

Dynamics Electrode Electrolyte Ionic liquids Nanostructure

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Area of Science:

Physical Chemistry
Surface Science
Nanotechnology

Background:

Ionic liquids (ILs) form complex nanostructures at interfaces.
Understanding IL interfacial dynamics is crucial for electrochemical applications.
Previous studies lacked real-time visualization of IL nanostructure movement.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the real-time dynamics of ionic liquid nanostructures near a mica surface.
To determine diffusion coefficients of IL nanostructures using advanced AFM techniques.
To re-conceptualize the behavior of ILs at interfaces.

Main Methods:

Utilized video-rate atomic force microscopy (AFM) to capture nanostructure dynamics.
Studied 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (BMIM TFSI) and ethylammonium nitrate (EAN) ILs, and EAN-water mixtures.
Employed dynamic differential microscopy and direct tracking to extract diffusion coefficients.

Main Results:

Achieved the first real-time visualization of liquid nanostructures at the 10 nm scale.
Observed that IL nanostructures near surfaces diffuse significantly slower than bulk ions.
Demonstrated that near-surface ILs form slow-diffusing, self-assembled aggregates.

Conclusions:

The near-surface nanostructure of ILs should be viewed as slow-moving, self-assembled aggregates, not free liquids.
This finding challenges existing models of interfacial IL behavior.
Impacts understanding of interfacial dynamics in concentrated electrolytes and related technologies.