Theoretical model for moisture adsorption on ionic liquids: A modified Brunauer-Emmet-Teller isotherm approach

The adsorption of atmospheric water on the air-liquid interface of ionic liquids is analyzed by means of a modified version of the Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) multilayer adsorption isotherm including lateral interactions between adsorbed molecules, treated in a mean-field fashion. Recently reported experimental results of water adsorption on hydrophobic ionic liquids of the 1-alkyl-3-methyl imidazolium tetrafluoroborate (CnMIM-BF4) family are analyzed in the present theoretical framework. The calculated values of the lateral interaction are seen to be compatible with the Keesom dipole-dipole interaction in water, confirming the validity of the multilayer assumption hypothesis. A somehow surprisingly ordered hydrophilic-like adsorption of atmospheric water is suggested to take place in the free surface of hydrophobic ILs of the imidazolium family.