The infinite possibilities of IONIC LIQUIDS

摘要

IN THE PAST DECADE, IONIC LIQUIDS (ILs) or liquid salts have gained more attention as promising materials with a wide range of possible applications across many industries—ranging from pharmaceuticals, lubricants, bio-based/ renewable energy and advanced energy storage cells to the space industry. However, enthusiasm must be tempered with reality. "Although some ILs are commercially available, they are still too expensive for high-volume and low-price applications," says David Dodds, president of Dodds and Associates based in Manlius, N.Y., U.S.A. Dodds has several decades of experience in organic chemistry and provides technical consulting and management to start-up pharma and biotech companies. Aswath agrees. "In general, ILs are experimental at this point, and they are not being used in great quantities. There are still a lot of challenges that need to be worked out, such as compatibility challenges and solubility issues," he says.