{
  "abstract": "Ionic liquids are promising solvents for batteries, biomass processing and critical mineral recovery, but their viscosities can exceed those of conventional molecular solvents by several orders of magnitude, impeding mass and charge transport and complicating process design. Using complementary neutron spin echo spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance diffusometry, we probe local and long-range dynamics of three protic ionic liquids over time scales from 10-12 to 10-3 seconds. We identify a fast relaxation with closely corresponding self and collective time scales, indicating cooperative rearrangement of the surrounding molecular network. Its characteristic time scale correlates with bulk viscosity, while its temperature dependence reveals distinct Arrhenius activation energies depending on whether extended networks are dominated by hydrogen bonding or electrostatic interactions. These results link cooperative network relaxation to macroscopic viscosity and show how molecular structure can tune the energetic cost of structural relaxation through network connectivity.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "School of Chemistry and University of Sydney Nano Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW2006, Australia.",
    "Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford, OxfordOX13QZ, United Kingdom.",
    "Institut Max von Laue-Paul Langevin (ILL), 71 avenue des Martyrs, CS 20156, Cedex 9, F-38042, Grenoble, France.",
    "School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA6009, Australia.",
    "Stranski-Laboratorium für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 124, Sekr. TC7, D-10623, Berlin, Germany."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Shurui Miao",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1840-3866"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Bela Farago"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Ingo Hoffmann",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7178-6467"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Rob Atkin",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8781-7854"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Michael Gradzielski",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7262-7115"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Gregory G Warr",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6893-1253"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/01t4qj1c30x0j.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1021/acs.jpclett.6c02640",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13679084",
  "id": "01t4qj1c30x0j",
  "issns": [
    "1948-7185"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42918220",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1503|Ionic liquids properties and applications"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7215045881",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13679084?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13679084",
  "pmid": "42918220",
  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/01t4qj1c30x0j.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:36Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42918220",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42918220"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1503|Ionic liquids properties and applications",
      "subfield": "catalysis"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Cooperative Relaxation Governs the Viscosity of Ionic Liquids.",
  "title_text": "Cooperative Relaxation Governs the Viscosity of Ionic Liquids.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:36Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/01t4qj1c30x0j",
  "venue": "The journal of physical chemistry letters",
  "versions": []
}