The influence of air and its components on the cathodic stability of N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide

Although water- and air-stable ionic liquids have been in use for some years, experiments found in the literature are still performed in inert gas with ppm levels of oxygen and water. In this study, the influence of different environments (vacuum, argon, nitrogen, air and oxygen and water) on the cathodic electrochemical window of the ionic liquid N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (PYR14TFSI) is reported and compared with investigations and processes found in the literature. The investigation indicates that this ionic liquid is highly stable in a vacuum and under argon flow. However, its cathodic stability is reduced in nitrogen and dry air. The simultaneous presence of water and air strongly affected the useful electrochemical window, as seen previously for imidazolium-based ionic liquids.