How Water Dissolves in Protic Ionic Liquids

Abstract

Water in ionic liquids: When equal masses of water and the protic ionic liquid ethylammonium nitrate are mixed a bicontinuous nanostructure results. This nanostructure resembles aqueous surfactant mesophases but has length scales at least an order of magnitude smaller. The local structure of both the water and the ionic liquid are strikingly similar to that found in the pure liquids (see picture).