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We measured the density and surface tension of 9 bis(trifluoromethyl)sulfonylimide (Tf(2)N(-))-based and 12 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium (C(8)C(1)Im(+))-based ionic liquids (ILs) with the vibrating tube and the pendant drop method, respectively. This comprehensive set of ILs was chosen to probe the influence of the cations and anions on density and surface tension. When the alkyl chain length in the C(n)C(1)ImTf(2)N series (n = 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12) is increased, a decrease in density is observed. The surface tension initially also decreases but reaches a plateau for alkyl chain lengths greater than n = 8. Functionalizing the alkyl chains with ethylene glycol groups results in a higher density as well as a higher surface tension. For the dependence of density and surface tension on the chemical nature of the anion, relations are only found for subgroups of the studied ILs. Density and surface tension values are discussed with respect to intermolecular interactions and surface composition as determined by angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS). The absence of nonvolatile surface-active contaminants was proven by ARXPS.
Kolbeck et al. (2010) studied this question.