Application of calorimetry and thermal analysis to determine the liquid range and the environmental toxicity of ionic liquids

Abstract

This PhD Thesis is focused on the applicability of thermal analysis and calorimetry techniques to determine phase transitions (through Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)), thermal stability (measured by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)) and ecotoxicity (trhough Thermal Activity Monitor (TAM) and seed germination response tests) of ionic liquids (ILs) to be used as lubricants and/or absorbents in heat pumps. The studied compounds are based on different anions (imide, triflate, sulphonate, phosphate) and cations (phosphonium, pyridinium, pyrrolidinium, imidazolium, choline) in order to determine possible dependences of these properties according to a selected ion. From the results of DSC and TGA techniques, the liquid range of the selected ILs was estimated using as limits of this interval tm and tonset/t´0.10/10h.