| AVS 59th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition | |
| Applied Surface Science | Tuesday Sessions |
| Session AS+BI-TuM |
| Session: | Practical Surface Analysis |
| Presenter: | J.D.P. Counsell, Kratos Analytical Ltd., UK |
| Authors: | J.D.P. Counsell, Kratos Analytical Ltd., UK S.J. Coultas, Kratos Analytical Ltd., UK A.J. Roberts, Kratos Analytical Ltd., UK S.J. Hutton, Kratos Analytical Ltd., UK C.J. Blomfield, Kratos Analytical Ltd., UK |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Ionic liquids have attracted much attention due to their possible “green chemistry” applications. Due to the recent use of ionic liquids as corrosion resistant thin-films, it has become important to fully understand the complex nature of their surface environments.
A series of commercially available ionic liquids (e.g. [BMIM][PF6]) were studied and characterised using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Angle-resolved experiments indicate an increased concentration of the organic cation in the liquid’s surface. The surface composition becomes enriched with contributions from the linear alkyl substituent of the cation which is significantly greater than that expected from the nominal stoichiometry. A maximum entropy method algorithm was used to build an accurate structure of the surface and near-surface region
We also explore the possibilities of using ionic liquids as potential new reference standards. They present the opportunity to offer a clean reference surface without the need for ion sputtering and present a number of core level peaks for spectrometer energy scale and transmission function calibration and validation.