Dielectric spectroscopy: a technique for the determination of water coordination within ionic liquids

Abstract

The presence of water can have a significant influence upon both the physical and dielectric properties of ionic liquids and consequently their ability to interact with microwaves. Herein we show that complex permittivity initially decreases as low concentrations of water are added to the system, the continued addition of water gives rise to an inversion in this trend. We propose that this minimum point may be used to identify water dimer formation.