Practical Online Monitoring of Ionic Liquid Fiber Welding Solvent.

Ionic liquids (ILs) are becoming important solvents in commerce, but monitoring their purity and performance in industrial applications presents new challenges. Fiber welding technology utilizes ILs to mold and shape natural fibers (cotton, hemp, flax, silk, and wool) into morphologies that are typically attained only using synthetic, petroleum-based non-biodegradable plastics. The result is an atom-efficient process that up-converts fibrous substrates to value-added products and materials.

Thermotropic Phase Transitions in Butyltrimethylammonium Bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide Ionic Liquids are Dependent on Heat Flux.

Transmission infrared spectroscopy (IR) and differential scanning calorimetry are used to identify and characterize multiple phase transitions of butyltrimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([N1114] [TFSI]). Phase-dependent properties are analyzed using temperature-controlled transmission IR, in which we identify changes in the molecular arrangements at and around phase transition temperatures between -80 and 30 °C, which span crystallization and melting phase transitions. Our data report the dependence of phase transition behavior across multiple heat flow rates and the resulting molecular organizations that are formed.