Aggregation behavior of ionic liquid in molecular liquid medium: a dynamic light scattering study

ABSTRACT

The aggregation behavior of a tri-n-octylmethylammonium bis(2-ethylhexyl)phosphate ([N₁₈₈₈][D2EHP]) in n-dodecane (n-DD) was investigated in detail by dynamic light scattering studies. The aggregate size was measured as a function of various parameters such as concentration of [N₁₈₈₈][D2EHP] in organic phase, concentration of nitric acid and Nd(III) in aqueous phase, and temperature of the system. The aggregate size increased with increase in the concentration of nitric acid and [N₁₈₈₈][D2EHP] in organic phase. The aggregate formation of [N₁₈₈₈][D2EHP] phase was compared with [N₁₈₈₈][NO₃] and bis(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) formed in organic phase upon nitric acid extraction. The results are reported in this paper.

KEYWORDS:

• Ionic liquid
• dynamic light scattering
• aggregation
• extraction
• neodymium(III)

Acknowledgements

The author (Dr. K.A. Venkatesan) thanks Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences for funding the project under the scheme DAE-SRC-OI project number: 21/09/2015-BRNS/35040.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences [DAE-SRC-OI project number: 21/09/2015-BRNS/35040].