Publication Type
Journal
Journal Name
Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
Publication Date
Page Number
3961
Volume
6
Issue
19
Abstract
The impact of supramolecular hydrogen bonded networks on dynamics and charge transport in 2-ethyl-4-methylimidazole (2E4MIm), a model proton-conducting system, is investigated by broadband dielectric spectroscopy, depolarized dynamic light scattering, viscometry, and calorimetry. It is observed that the slow, Debye-like relaxation reflecting the supramolecular structure in neat 2E4MIm is eliminated upon the addition of minute amounts of levulinic acid. This is attributed to the dissociation of imidazole molecules and the breaking down of hydrogen-bonded chains, which leads to a ten-fold enhancement of ionic conductivity.
