New Frontiers in Materials Science Opened by Ionic Liquids

Ionic liquids (ILs) including ambient-temperature molten salts, which exist in the liquid state even at room temperature, have a long research history. However, their applications were once limited because ILs were considered as highly moisture-sensitive solvents that should be handled in a glove box. After the first synthesis of moisture-stable ILs in 1992, their unique physicochemical properties became known in all scientific fields. ILs are composed solely of ions and exhibit several specific liquid-like properties, e.g., some ILs enable dissolution of insoluble bio-related materials and the use as tailor-made lubricants in industrial applications under extreme physicochemical conditions. Hybridization of…