(453d) Phase Behavior of Compressed Gases in Ionic Liquids at the Liquid-Solid Transition Point

Ionic liquids (ILs) are a unique class of molecular salts that exhibit melting points below 100^oC. The functionality of ILs provide this class of molecules numerous advantages for applications in reactions, separations, and materials processing due to their molecular tunability through cation and anion selection. Ionic liquids also exhibit negligible vapor pressures which may lead to more sustainable processes and new engineering applications. For these reasons, ILs are being considered for a wide range of industrial processes.

Select ionic liquids demonstrate significant absorption capacity for compressed gases including carbon dioxide (CO₂). Our laboratory is setup to measure and model the solubility of gases and vapors in ionic liquids using state of the art microbalance instruments. This presentation will discuss the absorption of compressed gases such as CO₂ in ionic liquids at temperatures approaching the freezing point of the pure IL. The behavior of an absorbed gas in an ionic liquid as the IL transitions between liquid and solid states will be presented for the first time.