Ethylammonium nitrate in high temperature stable microemulsions

The increasing number of publications reflects the still growing interest in nonaqueous microemulsions containing room-temperature ionic liquids. Recently, we characterized microemulsions composed of the room-temperature ionic liquid ethylammonium nitrate (EAN) as polar phase, dodecane as continuous phase and 1-hexadecy1-3-methyl imidazolium chloride ([C(16)mim][Cl]), an IL that exhibits surfactant properties, and decanol as cosurfactant at ambient temperature. We demonstrate here the high thermal stability of these microemulsions. Along an experimental path, no phase change could be observed visually within a temperature range between 30 degrees C and 150 degrees C. The microemulsions are characterized with quasi-elastic light scattering measurements at ambient temperature and temperature dependent small angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments between 30 degrees C and 150 degrees C. DLS measurements at ambient temperature indicate a swelling of the formed structures with increasing amount of EAN up to a certain threshold. The SANS experiments were performed below this threshold. The data evaluation of such concentrated systems like microemulsions is possible with the generalized indirect Fourier transformation method (GIFT). We evaluated the small angle scattering data via the GIFT method, for comparison we also applied the model of Teubner and Strey (TS) which was often used to describe scattering curves of microemulsions. The GIFT method gives good fits throughout the experimental path, while the TS model gives relatively poor fits. Both, light scattering and SANS results are in agreement with the existence of EAN droplets stabilized by surfactant with dodecane as continuous phase along the whole investigated temperature range. Moreover, these results clearly demonstrate the possibility to formulate high temperature stable microemulsions with ionic liquids at ambient pressure. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.