Imidazolium-based ionic liquids immobilized on solid supports: effect on the structure and thermostability.

[BMI][PF(6)] has been supported on silica and alumina in order to study the effect of these classical oxide supports on the structure of the ionic liquid. A widespread characterization by TGA, DSC, XRD and solid NMR of thin films of [BMI][PF(6)] immobilized on these amorphous supports has evidenced a dramatic effect on the ionic liquid structure depending on the nature of the support. For the alumina composite, a loss of the supramolecular arrangement of the ionic liquid occurs, while for the analogous silica composite, ions interact strongly with the support, leading to a [BMI][PF(6)] thermostability decrease.