Poly(ionic liquid)s as phase splitting promoters in aqueous biphasic systems

Abstract

Aqueous biphasic systems (ABSs) provide a sustainable and efficient alternative to conventional liquid–liquid extraction techniques with volatile organic solvents, and can be used for the extraction, recovery, and purification of diverse solutes. In this work, and for the first time, ABSs composed of poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) and inorganic salts were measured at 25 °C and atmospheric pressure. New PILs having pyrrolidinium polycations combined with different counter-anions, namely acetate [Ac]⁻, trifluoroacetate [TFAc]⁻, hexanoate [Hex]⁻, adipate [Adi]⁻, and citrate [Cit]⁻ were synthesized, by a simple and environmentally-friendly procedure, and characterized. The effect of the PIL features, namely molecular weight and anionic character, and other experimental variables, such as temperature, on the phase splitting ability was researched. The aptitude of the studied ABS to be implemented as separation technologies was also evaluated through the use of a model biomolecule, tryptophan.