Interaction and Dynamics of (alkylamide + Electrolyte) Deep Eutectics: Dependence on Alkyl Chain-length, Temperature, and Anion Identity

Here we investigate the solute-medium interaction and solute-centered dynamics in (RCONH2 + LiX) deep eutectics (DEs) via carrying out time-resolved fluorescence measurements and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations at various temperatures. Alkylamides (RCONH2) considered are acetamide (CH3CONH2), propionamide (CH3CH2CONH2), and butyramide (CH3CH2CH2CONH2); the electrolytes (LiX) are lithium perchlorate (LiClO4), lithium bromide (LiBr), and lithium nitrate (LiNO3). Differential scanning calorimetric measurements reveal glass transition temperatures (T(g)) of these DEs are ~195 K and show a very weak dependence on alkyl chain-length and electrolyte identity. Time-resolved and steady state fluorescence measurements with these DEs have been carried out at six-to-nine different temperatures that are ~100-150 K above their individual T(g)s. Four different solute probes providing a good spread of fluorescence lifetimes have been employed in steady state measurements, revealing strong excitation wavelength dependence of probe fluorescence emission peak frequencies. Extent of this dependence, which shows sensitivity to anion identity, has been found to increase with increase of amide chain-length and decrease of probe lifetime. Time-resolved measurements reveal strong fractional power dependence of average rates for solute solvation and rotation with fraction power being relatively smaller (stronger viscosity decoupling) for DEs containing longer amide and larger (weaker decoupling) for DEs containing perchlorate anion. Representative all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of (CH3CONH2 + LiX) DEs at different temperatures reveal strongly stretched exponential relaxation of wavevector dependent acetamide self dynamic structure factor with time constants dependent both on ion identity and temperature, providing justification for explaining the fluorescence results in terms of temporal heterogeneity and amide clustering in these multi-component melts.