High-temperature measurements on viscosity and surface tension of the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([EMIM][NTf2]) up to 473 K

Abstract

In the present study, the viscosity and surface tension of the commercial low-viscosity ionic liquid (IL) 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([EMIM][NTf2]) were determined by a combination of surface light scattering (SLS) and the pendant-drop (PD) method between (303 and 473) K. Both methods operating at thermodynamic equilibrium were applied inside the same measurement cell at identical experimental conditions under an argon atmosphere at 0.1 MPa. For SLS measurements performed in the temperature range from (303 to 323) K, the overdamped behavior of the surface fluctuations allowed access to the viscosity with an expanded uncertainty of 2.3% by using the surface tensions determined via the PD method with an uncertainty of 2% as input quantities. Above 323 K up to 473 K, the oscillatory behavior of the probed surface fluctuations by SLS enabled a simultaneous determination of viscosity and surface tension with average expanded uncertainties of (4 and 3) %, respectively. Multiple repetition measurements by both methods have been conducted at 323 K after experiments at larger temperatures up to 473 K, and the consistency of their results could indicate a sound thermal stability of the IL sample. The mutual agreement of the surface tension results from SLS and the PD method between (353 and 473) K demonstrates that both techniques analyze the very same IL surface. For both properties, the results from this work agree well with the majority of experimental data reported in the literature typically up to 353 K. In summary, the viscosity and surface tension results presented in this study contribute to an improved data landscape for this particular IL and ILs in general at elevated temperatures.