Conductivity of 1-Ethyl-3-Methylimidazolium Chloride (EMIC) and Aluminum Chloride (AlCl3) Ionic Liquids at Different Temperatures and AlCl3 Mole Fractions

The conductivity (k) of ionic liquid (IL) comprising a melt of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (EMIC) and aluminum chloride (AlCl 3 ) with different AlCl 3 mole fractions (X Al ) and temperatures (343-383 K) are reported. X Al values of 0.6, 0.643, and 0.667 in EMIC-AlCl 3 IL are selected to maintain the desired Lewis acidity. Precise and fast conductivity measurements and the behavior of anion species in IL are studied using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The measured k data followed the Arrhenius law using which the activation energies ( E a ) of conduction are determined. The conductivity of EMIC-AlCl 3 IL decreased with the higher X Al . EMIC-AlCl 3 with X Al =0.6 exhibited higher k (5.58 S m –1 ) at 383 K and lowest E a (4.25 KJ mol –1 ) among studied parameters. Based on the thermodynamic calculations, the differences in conductivities are attributed to the interplay of anion concentration, the molecular structure, cation-anion interactions, and hydrogen bonds in the IL.