The title of this presentation is based on the notion that ionic liquids in solution will adapt their bulk nano-segregated nature to different media conditions. Two types of situation will be considered: hydrotropy and surfactant effects. The analogy between ionic liquids and animals from the Cnidaria or Mollusca animal phyla will be apparent throughout the presentation.<br/>Hydrotropes are compounds able to enhance the solubility of hydrophobic substances in aqueous media and therefore are widely used in the formulation of drugs, cleaning and personal care products. In this presentation, it is shown that ionic liquids are a new class of powerful catanionic hydrotropes where both the cation and the anion synergistically contribute to increase the solubility of biomolecules in water. Molecular Dynamics simulations are used to explain the molecular mechanisms responsible for the strong hydrotrope effects exhibited by the studied ionic liquids.<br/>On the other hand, the surfactant behavior of ionic liquids at interfaces, as films or in confined conditions is also probed using MD simulations. The numerical density profiles obtained from the MD simulation trajectories are able to emphasize the very unusual packing of different IL systems under those diverse situations.

From cnidaria to mollusca: Bulk and surface structuration in ionic liquids

255th National Meeting (2018)

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