Stability and structure of the aqueous LiTFSI–LiCl interface

Abstract

It has recently been demonstrated that aqueous lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) and lithium chloride (LiCl) solutions can form stable liquid–liquid biphasic systems when both electrolyte phases have sufficiently high concentrations. In this work, we combine molecular dynamics simulations and experimental analysis to investigate what drives the formation of the interface and how the interfacial molecular structure correlates with its thermodynamic stability. We observe that at the liquid–vapour interface, TFSI⁻ anions exhibit surfactant-like properties, leading to a reduction in surface tension and an increase in interfacial thickness. In contrast, the interfacial stability of the LiTFSI–LiCl biphasic systems increases with the concentration of both salts, as evidenced by the increasing surface tension and decreasing interfacial thickness. The opposing effects that the ionic concentration has on the thermodynamic stability of the different interfaces are linked to the anions' interfacial adsorption/desorption, which in turn affects the number and strength of water–water hydrogen bonds, the interfacial molecular structure and the diffusion of cations across the interface. Finally, calculations and experiments indicate that the liquid–liquid separation is driven primarily by the concentration of LiCl, and is the result of a ‘salting out’ effect.