Nanoconfined Ionic Liquids

Ionic liquids (ILs) have been widely investigated as novel solvents, electrolytes, and soft functional materials. Nevertheless, the widespread applications of ILs in most cases have been hampered by their liquid state. The confinement of ILs into nanoporous hosts is a simple but versatile strategy to overcome this problem. Nanoconfined ILs constitute a new class of composites with the intrinsic chemistries of ILs and the original functions of solid matrices. The interplay between these two components, particularly the confinement effect and the interactions between ILs and pore walls, further endows ILs with significantly distinct physicochemical properties in the restricted space compared to the corresponding bulk systems. The aim of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of nanoconfined ILs. After a brief introduction of bulk ILs, the synthetic strategies and investigation methods for nanoconfined ILs are documented. The local structure and physicochemical properties of ILs in diverse porous hosts are summarized in the next sections. The final section highlights the potential applications of nanoconfined ILs in diverse fields, including catalysis, gas capture and separation, ionogels, supercapacitors, carbonization, and lubrication. Further research directions and perspectives on this topic are also provided in the conclusion.