From ionic liquid to electrolyte solution: dynamics of 1-N-butyl-3-N-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate/dichloromethane mixtures.

Dielectric spectra have been measured at 25 degrees C for mixtures of the room temperature ionic liquid 1- N-butyl-3- N-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (IL) with dichloromethane (DCM) over the entire composition range at frequencies 0.2 less than or approximately nu/GHz < or = 89. The spectra could be satisfactorily fitted by assuming only two relaxation modes: a Cole-Cole process at lower frequencies and a Debye process at higher frequencies. However, detailed analysis indicated that both spectral features contain additional modes, which could not be resolved due to overlaps. The spectra indicate that the IL appears to retain its chemical character to extraordinarily high levels of dilution ( x IL greater than or approximately 0.5) in DCM. At even higher dilutions ( x IL less than or approximately 0.3), the IL behaves as a conventional but strongly associated electrolyte.