Modulating the Conductivity of Light-Responsive Ionic Liquid Crystals

Umama Bendaoud; Pradip K. Bhowmik; Si L. Chen; Haesook Han; Seonghyeok L. Cox; Jasmin Liebsch; M. Blanca Ros; Thamil Selvi Velayutham; Nurul Fadhilah Kamalul Aripin; Alfonso Martinez-Felipe

doi:10.3390/molecules29184459

Molecules (Sep 2024)

Modulating the Conductivity of Light-Responsive Ionic Liquid Crystals

Umama Bendaoud,
Pradip K. Bhowmik,
Si L. Chen,
Haesook Han,
Seonghyeok L. Cox,
Jasmin Liebsch,
M. Blanca Ros,
Thamil Selvi Velayutham,
Nurul Fadhilah Kamalul Aripin,
Alfonso Martinez-Felipe

Affiliations

Umama Bendaoud: Chemical Processes and Materials Research Group, Just Transition Lab, Centre for Energy Transition, School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen, King’s College, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, UK
Pradip K. Bhowmik: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Box 454003, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
Si L. Chen: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Box 454003, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
Haesook Han: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Box 454003, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
Seonghyeok L. Cox: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Box 454003, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
Jasmin Liebsch: Chemical Processes and Materials Research Group, Just Transition Lab, Centre for Energy Transition, School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen, King’s College, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, UK
M. Blanca Ros: Instituto de Nanociencia y Materiales de Aragón, Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Zaragoza-CSIC, Campus San Francisco, E-50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Thamil Selvi Velayutham: Low Dimensional Materials Research Center, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Nurul Fadhilah Kamalul Aripin: School of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam 40450, Malaysia
Alfonso Martinez-Felipe: Chemical Processes and Materials Research Group, Just Transition Lab, Centre for Energy Transition, School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen, King’s College, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, UK

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29184459
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 29, no. 18
p. 4459

Abstract

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In this work, we describe the phase behaviour and the dielectric and conductivity response of new light-responsive ionic liquid crystals, ILCs, which can be applied as controllable electrolytes. The materials include two different dicationic viologens, the asymmetric 6BP18 and the symmetric EV2ON(Tf)2, containing bistriflimide as the counterions, mixed with 5% and 50% molar, respectively, of one new photoresponsive mesogen called CNAzO14. These mixtures exhibit liquid crystal behaviour, light responsiveness through the E-Z photoisomerisation of the azobenzene groups in CNAzO14, and strong dielectric responses. The 5%-CNAzO14/Ev2ON(Tf)2 mixture displays direct current conductivities in the 10−7 S·cm−1 range, which can be increased by a two-fold factor upon the irradiation of UV light at 365 nm. Our findings set the grounds for designing new smart ionic soft materials with nanostructures that can be tuned and used for energy conversion and storage applications.

Published in Molecules

ISSN: 1420-3049 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Chemistry: Organic chemistry
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules

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