Bulk nanostructure of a deep eutectic solvent with an amphiphilic hydrogen bond donor

Neutron diffraction with empirical potential structure refinement (EPSR) show the deep eutectic solvent (DES) 1 : 4 choline chloride : butyric acid is amphiphilically nanostructured. Nanostructure results from solvophobic interactions between the alkyl chains of the butyric acid hydrogen bond donor (HBD) and is retained with addition of 10 wt% water. EPSR fits to the diffraction data is used to produce a three-dimensional model of the liquid which is interrogated to reveal the interactions leading to the solvophobic effect, and therefore nanostructure, in this DES at atomic resolution. The model shows electrostatic and hydrogen bond interactions cause the cation, anion and HBD acid group to cluster into a polar domain, from which the acid alkyl chains are solvophobically excluded into theapolar domain. The polar and apolar domains percolate through the liquid in a bicontinuous sponge-like structure. The effect of adding 10 wt% water is probed, revealing that water molecules are sequestered around the cation and anion within the polar domain, while the neat bulk structure is retained. Alkyl chain packing in the apolar domain becomes slightly better-defined indicating water marginally strengthens solvophobic segregation. These findings reveal bulk self-assembled nanostructure can be produced in DESs via an amphiphilic HBD.