A 2017 United States Department of Energy ‘Big Ideas Summit’ identified several topics as critical for future energy research investment. Among these were advanced thermal energy research, hybrid nuclear energy, the energy-water nexus, and subsurface science, technology, and engineering. Significantly, each of these is an area to which ionic liquids are already or may be anticipated to make meaningful contributions. However, to a large degree the utility of ionic liquids in the former applications will be influenced by their thermal stability. And, while ionic liquids have often been reputed to have high degrees of thermal stability, the reality of the matter is much more nuanced; while some ILs can withstand brief heating to 400oC or more, far fewer appear to be usefully stable for hours – much less days – at temperatures reaching 150oC - 200oC. In response to this, our group is designing new ionic liquids that are much more thermally durable. These efforts have already borne fruit, with select tetraarylphosphonium- and triarylsulfonium-type cations having been identified as having superior degrees of thermal stability. More recently still, we have validated several anion types as having outstanding degrees of thermal robustness – some of them non-fluorinated and inexpensive. In this presentation we will discuss the basis for the extraordinary thermal stability of these salts. We will also discuss energy-important aspects of their properties, as well as very new work related to their use as building blocks of organic solids stable at unusually high temperatures.

On the creation and chemistry of ionic liquids stable in air for months at 300oC

255th National Meeting (2018)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.