Spontaneous Formation of Nano-Emulsions Containing Task-Special Ionic Liquid and CO2 Capture in this Nano-Emulsions System

Nano-emulsions containing task-special ionic liquid ([NH(2)ebim][PF6]) were prepared by spontaneous emulsification. The stability of nano-emulsions was investigated by analysis of droplet size. The microstructure of the mixed solvent including the Triton X-100, n-butanol, and [NH(2)ebim][PF6] was demonstrated based on macular dynamic simulation. The results indicate that nano-emulsions are relatively stable to the droplet growth at static storage, but unstable under high centrifugal force. Simulation results from the macular dynamic calculation show that [NH(2)ebim][PF6] locates in the hydrophobic layer of Triton X-100 and n-butanol, which is available for enhancing CO2 mass transfer in an absorption process. Nano-emulsions were used as the absorbent to absorb CO2 in absorption experiments, and the absorption rates were investigated. The results show that nano-emulsion containing [NH(2)ebim][PF6] can enhance CO2 absorption rate compared to the system that pure water was used as the absorbent. The reason is attributed to the reversible chemical reaction between [NH(2)ebim][PF6] and CO2 on the interface of oil and water, which decreases the concentration of CO2 in the bulk so as to increase the mass transfer driving force between gas and liquid. Therefore, the chemical reaction on the interface of oil and water promotes the absorption process.