Acceleration of diffusion in ethylammonium nitrate ionic liquid confined between parallel glass plates

The bulk self diffusion of the ethylammonium cation and the nitrate anion can both be described by respective single diffusion coefficients. Diffusion of the anion is 1.7 times higher than that of the cation. This indicates no tight association of the ions in the ionic liquid. For the ethylammonium cation confined between glass plates the effective diffusion coefficient along, as well as normal to the confining glass plates is higher by a factor of 1.86 as compared to that in the bulk. The same time, NMR T2 relaxation of protons of NH3 group of the EA cation is faster by a factor of 22 than that in bulk. 2H NMR spectra of selectively labeled CH2 and CH3 groups of EA do not demonstrate any ordering of the EA between the glass plates. We suggested that these data favor a model where a bulk isotropic sponge like structure of EAN is saved in the confinement, but sizes of connecting channels increases. Those leads to faster translational diffusion and faster exchange processes of protons of NH3 group, in comparison with the bulk.