Wettability and Surface Tension of Imidazolium, Ammonium, and Phosphonium Bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide Ionic Liquids: Comparison between Pentyl, Ethoxyethyl, and Ethylthioethyl Groups

Langmuir. 2023 Aug 29;39(34):12090-12098. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c01375. Epub 2023 Aug 14.

Abstract

This study particularly compares the surface tensions and contact angles for molten bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide salts of imidazolium, ammonium, and phosphonium cations with the pentyl, ethoxyethyl, or ethylthioethyl group. The examined substrate plates for contact angle measurements include silicate glass, platinum, copper, graphene, and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). In addition, quantum chemistry calculations were performed to obtain the optimized structures of the cations and anions of the ionic liquids (ILs) that were studied here along with some typical anions and their dipole moments, mean polarizabilities, and charge distributions. All ILs showed the same order of contact angles with respect to the substrates: PTFE > graphene ≈ copper ≈ platinum > silicate glass. By comparing the three functional groups, i.e., pentyl, ethoxyethyl, and ethylthioethyl, the ILs with the ethylthioethyl group featured a higher work of adhesion than the respective ILs with the pentyl or ethoxyethyl group. The values of the surface tensions of the ILs followed the same trend for the three functional groups. Based on the Fowkes theory, it was found that the larger surface tensions of the ILs with the ethylthioethyl group compared with pentyl and ethoxyethyl groups were because of the increase in both dispersive and nondispersive components. The quantum chemistry calculations of the ions showed a larger dipole moment and mean polarizability for the cations with the ethylthioethyl group as compared with the pentyl and ethoxyethyl groups. This is consistent with the analysis results of the surface tensions based on the Fowkes theory. By comparing other anions, the dispersive component of the surface tension of the ILs with bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide was large, which is attributed to the small dipole moment of the anion.