The dynamical properties of four protic ionic liquids, based on the ethyltriazolium ([C2HTr124]) and the ethylimidazolium ([C2HIm]) cation, were investigated. The associated anions were the triflate ([TfO]) and the bistriflimide ([TFSI]). Ionic conductivity values and self-diffusion coefficients were measured and discussed, extending the discussion to the concept of fragility. Furthermore, in order to allow the measurement of the ionic conductivity of very small volumes (<0.5 mL) of ionic liquid under an inert and dry atmosphere, a new setup was developed. It was found that the cation nature strongly affected the transport properties, the [C2HTr124] cation resulting in slower dynamics than the [C2HIm] one. This was concluded from both conductivity and diffusivity measurements while for both properties, the anion had a lesser effect. By fitting the conductivity data with the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann (VFT) equation, we could also estimate the fragility of these ionic liquids, which all fell in the range of very fragile glass-forming materials. Finally, the slower dynamics observed in the triazolium-based ionic liquids can be rationalized by the stronger interactions that this cation establishes with both anions, as deduced from the frequency analysis of relevant Raman signatures and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.
Keywords: fragility; imidazolium; ionic conductivity; protic ionic liquids; self-diffusion; triazolium.