Wide electrochemical window at the interface between water and a hydrophobic room-temperature ionic liquid of tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate.
Ionic liquids composed of a hydrophobic anion, tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate (TFPB-), and various aromatic and aliphatic ammonium have been prepared. TFPB salts of N-octadecylisoquinolinium (C18Iq+) and trioctylmethylammonium (TOMA+) show low melting points of 31 and 36 degrees C, respectively, whereas TFPB-based ionic liquids of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium with the alkyl chain length of 5-12 show melting points lower than 90 degrees C. The [C(18)Iq][TFPB]|water (W) and [TOMA][TFPB]|W interfaces have the polarized potential window (ppw) of 0.8 V at 56 degrees C, which is twice as wide as the ppw at the interface between W and room-temperature ionic liquids of bis(perfluoroalkylsulfonyl)imide so far reported. The extension of the ppw by more than 0.4 V to the positive direction enables voltammetric measurements of the ion transfer of relatively hydrophobic anions such as bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide and bis(pentafluoroethylsulfonyl)imide and of hydrophilic cations such as tetraethylammonium and acetylcholine ions.
Nishi
Naoya
N
Department of Energy and Hydrocarbon Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan.
Imakura
Seiichi
S
Kakiuchi
Takashi
T