Ionic plastic crystals and ionic liquids containing quaternary cations with alkenyl substituents: chemical phase transformations by bromine vapor

Abstract

Ionic Plastic Crystals (IPCs) and Ionic Liquids (ILs) exhibit intriguing physical properties, but methods to chemically control their properties remain largely unexplored. To achieve control over their thermal properties and phase behaviors through chemical reactions, in this study, we synthesized quaternary salts comprising ammonium cations with vinyl or allyl substituents and fluorinated anions. Most of them were IPCs or ILs, which readily underwent quantitative bromine addition reactions upon exposure to bromine vapor. The reactions facilitated simple, efficient chemical phase transformations between IPCs, ILs, and ordinary ionic crystals.