Phase Transitions and Electrochemical Properties of Ionic Liquids and Ionic Liquid—Solvent Mixtures

Abstract

Recent advances in studies of ionic liquids (IL) and ionic liquid–solvent mixtures are reviewed. Selected experimental, simulation, and theoretical results for electrochemical, thermodynamical, and structural properties of IL and IL-solvent mixtures are described. Special attention is paid to phenomena that are not predicted by the classical theories of the electrical double layer or disagree strongly with these theories. We focus on structural properties, especially on distribution of ions near electrodes, on electrical double layer capacitance, on effects of confinement, including decay length of a dissjoining pressure between confinig plates, and on demixing phase transition. In particular, effects of the demixing phase transition on electrochemical properties of ionic liquid–solvent mixtures for different degrees of confinement are presented.

Keywords

• ionic liquids
• ionic liquid-solvent mixtures
• demixing phase transition
• effects of confinement in ionic systems
• differential capacitance
• electrical double layer