Pressure-induced liquid-liquid transition in a family of ionic materials

Liquid-liquid transitions (LLTs) have been reported for some molecular systems but are difficult to observe under high pressure conditions. Here the authors report and characterize a first-order LLT in a series of ionic liquids containing the trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium cation and anions of different sizes and shapes, using calorimetric and dielectric measurements. Liquid-liquid transition (LLT) between two disordered phases of single-component material remains one of the most intriguing physical phenomena. Here, we report a first-order LLT in a series of ionic liquids containing trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium cation [P-666,P-14](+) and anions of different sizes and shapes, providing an insight into the structure-property relationships governing LLT. In addition to calorimetric proof of LLT, we report that ion dynamics exhibit anomalous behavior during the LLT, i.e., the conductivity relaxation times (tau(sigma)) are dramatically elongated, and their distribution becomes broader. This peculiar behavior is induced by isobaric cooling and isothermal compression, with the tau(sigma)(T-LL,P-LL) constant for a given system. The latter observation proves that LLT, in analogy to liquid-glass transition, has an isochronal character. Finally, the magnitude of discontinuity in a specific volume at LLT was estimated using the Clausius-Clapeyron equation.