Researcher(s)
- George Lauri, Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware
Faculty Mentor(s)
- Thomas H., III Epps, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware
Abstract
Ionic liquids (ILs) are promising alternatives to molecular solvents for a wide variety of industrial applications, including as solvents for chemical reactions and as conductive matrices, due to their low volatility and high thermal stability. However, the design of ILs with tailorable properties from renewable feedstocks remains an outstanding challenge. Small molecule outputs of biomass deconstruction offer a significant opportunity to fill this void by providing a feedstock for IL components. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of a suite of ILs from biomass-derivable compounds. A synthetic route to IL cations was developed and optimized, and ILs were subsequently formed by combining the cation with various anions. The thermal and electrochemical properties of each IL were then analyzed to determine glass-transition temperatures, decomposition temperatures, and conductivities, which in turn inform potential application spaces. The measured IL characteristics were competitive to previously reported bio-derivable ILs and revealed broadly applicable structure-property principles for IL design.