Fast and slow dynamics of ionic liquids and the effect of nano-scale structures

The objective is to study the fast and slow dynamics in a series of ionic liquids (IL) by measuring the mean square displacement through elastic incoherent scattering. This is in order to test the relation between slow and fast dynamics by the so-called Shoving model and to see how the nano-scale structures formed by the cations in the IL affect this. The Shoving model is an elastic model that aims to connect fast and slow dynamics in liquids and to explain the non-Arrhenius slow down of the structural relaxation time when the liquid is cooled. Fast dynamics can be probed by neutrons on a short time scale, making it possible to test the Shoving model on IN16b. It has been tested before on simple, molecular liquids, showing a clear connection between fast and slow dynamics as predicted by the Shoving model. The question posed here is therefore: Is this also the case for complex IL with varying sizes of nano-scale structures? If yes, this could point towards universal behavior of supercooled liquids. Three IL will be studied with different cation chain lengths thus varying the size and fraction of the nano-scale structures.