LAUSR

ABSTRACT We prepared novel ionic liquid submicron particles (ILSPs) in water by emulsifying the ionic liquid (IL) N-(2-methoxyethyl)-N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (Pyr12O1TFSI), which is immiscible with water, with the nonionic surfactants Tween 20 and Span 80. The mean particle size and zeta potential of the ILSPs were about 580 nm and −30 mV, respectively. The ILSPs were characterized using 1H and 19F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic methods. The chemical shifts of the Pyr12O1+ cation and TFSI− anion in the 1H and 19F NMR spectra of the ILSP suspension were consistent with those corresponding to pure Pyr12O1TFSI. This indicated that most of the Pyr12O1TFSI was still in the IL state in the ILSP suspension. In addition, 1H–1H nuclear Overhauser effect correlated spectroscopic measurements showed that the ILSP droplets contained Pyr12O1TFSI in the neat IL steric state even in the ILSP suspension, and Pyr12O1TFSI species localized in the droplet surfaces interacted with the hydrophobic acyl side chains of the surfactants. These NMR spectroscopic results show that the ILSPs formed an IL-in-water microemulsion in which droplets of neat Pyr12O1TFSI were surrounded by the two surfactants, that is, Tween 20 and Span 80. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT