Nanoconfined water in ionic liquid and lyotropic ionic liquid crystals by small- and wide-angle X-ray and neutron scattering: 1-Decyl-3-methylimidazolium nitrate

Nanoconfined water (water pocket) and ionic liquid crystals (ILCs) were formed in a hydrophilic ionic liquid (IL)-D2O system. Herein, 1-decyl-3-methylimidazolium nitrate ([C10mim][NO3]) was used as the IL. By the complementary use of small- and wide-angle X-ray and neutron scattering, a complicated phase diagram of [C10mim][NO3]-D2O was determined. The lyotropic ILCs of [C10mim][NO3] containing 70-90 mol% D2O appeared at room temperature. At high temperature, the lyotropic ILCs transformed into the water pocket in the nanoheterogeneous liquid.