Newly synthesized halogen-free boron based ionic liquids (hf-BILs) composed of chelated orthoborate anionsand phosphonium cations have hydrolytic stability, low melting point and outstanding wear and frictionreducing properties. We report here the peculiarities of self-diffusion in one representative from this class,trihexyltetradecylphosphonium bis(mandelato)borate, [P6,6,6,14][BMB], in the temperature range of itspractical interest, 20–100 1C. NMR techniques demonstrated complicated diffusional behaviour – the ionicliquid can exist in one or two liquid ‘‘phases’’. In the low-temperature range (20–50 1C), two phases coexistwhere the cations, [P6,6,6,14], are contained mainly in the phase with slower diffusion coefficients while theanions, [BMB], are in the phase with faster diffusion coefficients. Cations have lower diffusion coefficientswith a factor of 20 as compared with the anions, an effect which is caused by aggregation of cations intodomains due to so-called ‘‘hydrophobic interaction’’ of their hydrocarbon chains. As the temperature risesabove 60 1C, the two phases merge into one where both ions have equal diffusion coefficients. This iscaused by thermal motion making the cation domains smaller in size and more easily interacting withanions. As a result, anions and cations diffuse in this high-temperature range as a pair.
Validerad; 2013; 20130506 (andfil)