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Updated: May 4, 2026

From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding
Published on: March 24, 2018
25th anniversary article: "Cooking carbon with salt": carbon materials and carbonaceous frameworks from ionic liquids
Tim-Patrick Fellinger1, Arne Thomas, Jiayin Yuan
1Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces Research Campus Golm, D-14424, Potsdam, Germany.
Abstract:
This review surveys recent work on the use of ionic liquids (ILs) and polymerized ionic liquids (PILs) as precursors to synthesize functional carbon materials. As solvents or educts with negligible vapour pressure, these systems enable simple processing, composition, and structural control of the resulting carbons under rather simple and green synthesis conditions. Recent applications of the resulting nanocarbons across a multitude of fields, such as fuel cells, energy storage in batteries and supercapacitors, catalysis, separation, and sorption materials are highlighted.
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