Proposal Number: CTS-0522589 Principal Investigator: Ruth Baltus Institution: Clarkson University
The objective of this project is to carry out a fundamental study of the transport characteristics of a variety of gases and organic solutes in room temperature ionic liquids. Because ionic liquids have no measurable vapor pressure, these materials are being studied as possible "green" replacements for conventional volatile organic solvents in many reaction and separation processes. The goal will be to combine information collected from a number of different experimental measurements to develop a fundamental understanding of the interactions governing transport in ionic liquids. Measurements will include solute permeability through supported ionic liquid membranes, solubility of target solutes and ionic liquid viscosity and density at different dissolved solute concentrations. Measurements will be conducted over a range of pressures and temperatures. Supported ionic liquids membranes will be prepared from porous alumina membranes with well-defined pore geometries. These easily characterized membranes will permit calculation of solute diffusion coefficients by combining information from the membrane permeability measurements with measured solubility values. Results will be examined to answer some fundamental questions about the important phenomena governing processes that will utilize ionic liquids. An examination of peak shifts in NMR spectra should help identify the constituent groups in the ionic liquid that interact with the dissolved solute. In terms of the broader impacts, the proposed work will provide property information about a class of materials that may be important in the design of environmentally benign chemical processes. Students who will work on this project will be encouraged to consider a variety of questions that will ultimately impact the applicability of ionic liquids in the chemical process and energy industries. Through their experience on this project, these students will develop an understanding of environmentally conscious engineering and the importance of thinking beyond end-of-pipe solutions to emissions problems. This project will provide information useful for the industrial application of a new class of environmentally friendly solvents.
