Nano-confined Water and its Dynamics in Ionic Liquid

Abstract

Nano-confined water (“water pocket”) was realized in ionic liquid. Static structure of the water pocket was examined by a complementary use of small angle X-ray and neutron scattering. The size of the “water pocket” was evaluated to be 20 ~ 30 Å and varied depending on temperature and water concentration. Dynamics of the water pocket was obtained by quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS). Compared with the bulk water, slow water diffusion in the water pocket was clarified by the QENS.