Phosphonium bis(oxalato)borate dicationic ionic liquids: a platform for halogen-free functional fluidsShow others and affiliations
2025 (English)In: ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, E-ISSN 2168-0485, Vol. 13, no 48, p. 20728-20736Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
A new class of halogen-free, nanostructured ILs (ionic liquids) with high thermal stability is introduced in the form of a series of bolaform phosphonium-based dicationic ionic liquids (DILs), [Pn,n,n-C12-Pn,n,n][BOB]2 (n = 4, 6, 8), paired with bis(oxalato)borate (BOB–) anions. They were prepared via a straightforward two-step synthesis involving quaternization and aqueous metathesis. Comprehensive spectroscopic analysis confirmed their structure and purity. All three ILs exhibit wide thermal operating windows of nearly 300 °C, with glass transitions as low as −60 °C and decomposition temperatures exceeding 250 °C. Combined small- and wide-angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SWAXS/SANS) revealed intrinsic nanoscale structuring in the bulk, characterized by domain segregation scaling with alkyl decoration and charge ordering. Upon dispersion in d3-acetonitrile, the ILs lose their bulk nanostructure to form well-defined ‘dication triplets’ (i.e., aggregates of one dication + two anions) with cylindrical morphology, instead of simple ion pairs. These findings position the reported phosphonium orthoborate DILs as promising, nonhalogenated alternatives for application in thermal management, energy storage, catalysis, gas separations, and lubrication.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
American Chemical Society (ACS), 2025. Vol. 13, no 48, p. 20728-20736
Keywords [en]
Dicationic ionic liquids, Halogen-free, Orthoborate, Phosphonium, SANS, SWAXS
National Category
Physical Chemistry
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-248186DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.5c08209ISI: 001619452500001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105025152688OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-248186DiVA, id: diva2:2025827
Funder
Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, KAW2012.0078Swedish Research Council, 2017-04080Swedish Research Council, 2022-04819Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, EM16-0013Vinnova, 2020-03801Novo Nordisk, NNF21OC00644002026-01-082026-01-082026-01-08Bibliographically approved