Water Solubilization Capacity and Volume-Induced Percolation of Sodium Bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate Microemulsions in the Presence of 1-Alkyl-3-Methylimidazolium Chloride Ionic Liquids

Abstract

The water solubilization capacity of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT) in isooctane microemulsions in the presence of chloride anion-based ionic liquids (ILs), such as 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (emimCl), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (bmimCl), and 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (omimCl), was investigated. The water solubilization capacity is enhanced at low IL concentrations but decreases at high concentrations of IL. Meanwhile, the water solubilization capacity increases with the increase of chain length of ILs at low IL concentrations. The effect of ILs on the volume-induced percolation of AOT microemulsions was also studied. For the microemulsions, with an increasing volume fraction of dispersed phase (Φ), no percolation phenomena can be observed at high concentrations of IL, whereas the percolation conductance occurs at low IL concentrations and the percolation threshold (Φ p ) increases with the increase of IL concentrations. For the IL-containing microemulsions, the Φ p increases with increasing IL chain length under the same conditions.