In this study molecular dynamics of ionic liquids in poly(vinyl alcohol) scaffolds were investigated. The binary poly(vinyl alcohol) - ionic liquid (PVA-IL) compound was prepared from initial solutions of water, ionic liquid (IL) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) at different concentrations. Subsequently water was evaporated under open conditions, leaving the scaffold/IL system of interest. Low field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation and diffusion measurements, as well as 2D T1-T2 correlated NMR experiments were performed to determine specific local and translational dynamics properties at different time scales. Data suggest that during water evaporation, partial demixing of IL from the polymeric matrix leaves the remaining solvent confined in the porous structure formed by the PVA polymer. The results show that the translational diffusion, as well as the local rotational molecular dynamics is comparable to the bulk liquid state. Moreover, in partial saturation conditions, diffusion shows enhancements relative to the bulk.
Keywords: Diffusion; Dynamics; Ionic liquids; Polymer-porous media; Single sided NMR.
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