Ion and proton transport in aqueous/nonaqueous acidic ionic liquids for fuel-cell applications - insight from high-pressure dielectric studies

The use of acidic ionic liquids and solids as electrolytes in fuel cells is an emerging field due to their efficient proton conductivity and good thermal stability. Despite multiple reports describing conducting properties of acidic ILs, little is known on the charge-transport mechanism in the vicinity of liquid–glass transition and the structural factors governing the proton hopping. To address these issues, we studied two acidic imidazolium-based ILs with the same cation, however, different anions—bulk tosylate vs small methanesulfonate. High-pressure dielectric studies of anhydrous and water-saturated materials performed in the close vicinity of Tg have revealed significant differences in the charge-transport mechanism in these two systems being undetectable at ambient conditions. Thereby, we demonstrated the effect of molecular architecture on proton hopping, being crucial in the potential electrochemical applications of acidic ILs.