Effect of different families (imidazolium and pyridinium) of ionic liquids-based surfactants on interfacial tension of water/crude oil system

Protonated betaine bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide is an ionic liquid with the ability to dissolve large quantities of metal oxides. This metal-solubilizing power is selective. Soluble are oxides of the trivalent rare earths, uranium(VI) oxide, zinc(II) oxide, cadmium(II) oxide, mercury(II) oxide, nickel(II) oxide, copper(II) oxide, palladium(II) oxide, lead(II) oxide, manganese(II) oxide, and silver(I) oxide. Insoluble or very poorly soluble are iron(III), manganese(IV), and cobalt oxides, as well as aluminum oxide and silicon dioxide. The metals can be stripped from the ionic liquid by treatment of the ionic liquid with an acidic aqueous solution. After transfer of the metal ions to the aqueous phase, the ionic liquid can be recycled for reuse. Betainium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide forms one phase with water at high temperatures, whereas phase separation occurs below 55.5 degrees C (temperature switch behavior). The mixtures of the ionic liquid with water also show a pH-dependent phase behavior: two phases occur at low pH, whereas one phase is present under neutral or alkaline conditions. The structures, the energetics, and the charge distribution of the betaine cation and the bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide anion, as well as the cation-anion pairs, were studied by density functional theory calculations.

The interfacial tension (IFT) between alkanes and several individual surfactants and their mixtures has been investigated, using three kinds of alkyl hydrocarbons: decane, dodecane, and tetradecane. For individual and mixed surfactant systems, critical micelle concentrations and areas per molecule at the hydrocarbon-aqueous solution interface were calculated; for the mixed surfactant systems, betasigma(LL), the molecular interaction parameter at the hydrocarbon-aqueous solution interface, and beta(M), the molecular interaction parameter in mixed micelle formation, were calculated. It was found that IFT in the 10(-3) mN/m (ultralow) range can be obtained at surfactant concentrations below 0.05 wt % and even at concentrations below 0.01 wt %, when mixtures of certain surfactants are used at the proper ratio. Surfactants with branched-chain alkyl groups show a much better IFT reduction effectiveness than those with straight-chain alkyl groups. Contrary to what has been observed at the air-aqueous solution surface, mixtures of two homologues with two hydrophobic groups show significant molecular interactions, with both betasigma(LL) and beta(M) having negative values in the 4-5 range in some cases, with the betasigma(LL) value more negative than beta(M). The relationship between micellar shape and ultralow IFT was investigated by calculating the critical packing parameter of the surfactants. It was found that ultralow IFT between the surfactant mixtures and the three hydrocarbons investigated could reach ultralow (<10(-2) mN/m) values when the critical packing parameter is very close to 1.