On the interfacial behavior of ionic liquids: surface tensions and contact angles.

In this work the liquid/vapour and the solid/liquid interfaces of a series of ionic liquids: 1-ethyl-3-methylpyridinium ethyl sulfate, [EMPy][EtSO4], 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate, [EMIM][EtSO4], 1-ethanol-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, [C2OHMIM][BF4], 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, [BMIM][BF4], and 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, [OMIM][BF4], were investigated. The surface tension was measured in a wide temperature range, (298-453) K. The contact angles were determined on substrates of different polarities. Both on the polar (glass) and the non-polar substrates ((poly-(tetrafluoroethylene) and poly-(ethylene)), the liquids with maximum and minimum surface tensions lead, respectively, to the highest and the lowest contact angles. The dispersive, gamma(L)(d), and non-dispersive, gamma(L)(nd), components of the liquid surface tension, gamma(L), were calculated from the contact angles on the non-polar substrates using the Fowkes approach. The polarity fraction, gamma(L)(nd)/gamma(L), was compared with the polarity parameter, k, obtained from the fitting of the surface tension vs. temperature data to the Eötvös equation. Good agreement was found for the extreme cases: [OMIM][BF4] exhibits the lowest polarity and [BMIM][BF4], the highest. When compared with the polarity fractions of standard liquids considered as "polar" liquids, the ionic liquids studied may be considered as moderately polar.