Local structures of ionic liquids in the presence of gold under high pressures

The interactions between ionic liquid ([EMI][TFS]) and gold surfaces have been investigated via the application of pressures up to ca. 2 GPa. Comparing the spectral features of [EMI][TFS]/gold with those of pure [EMI][TFS], no appreciable changes of C-H bands in the presence of gold powders were observed under ambient pressure. Nevertheless, the imidazolium C-H bands display red shifts in frequency as the [EMI][TFS] / Au mixture was compressed to the pressure above 1.4 GPa and a new alkyl C-H band at ca. 3016 cm−1 was also revealed. These spectral changes, being related to the addition of gold powders and pressure elevation, should be attributed to the local structural changes of C-H groups caused by pressure-enhanced interfacial interactions between [EMI][TFS] and Au. Gold powders tend to induce the changes in hydrogen bonding structures of imidazolium C2-H group under high pressures. The pressure-dependent spectral features in the asymmetric SO3 stretching region display band-narrowing and minor local structural changes induced by the presence of gold particles under high pressures. These observations suggest that Au powders perturb structural equilibrium of C-H groups of cations under high pressures.