Polymerized and Colloidal Ionic Liquids─Syntheses and Applications

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Polymerized ionic liquids (PILs) are an expanding class of materials with diverse applications.
• Colloidal ionic liquids (CILs) bridge ionic liquid monomers (ILMs) and larger PIL materials, exhibiting various topologies.
• The field has seen significant growth over the past five to six years.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an updated review of recent advances and trends in PILs.
• To cover syntheses, properties, and applications of PILs and PIL-based materials.
• To discuss the evolution of PIL development over the next decade.

Main Methods:

• Review of literature on PIL syntheses, properties, and applications.
• Analysis of trends in ILM design, polymerization techniques (radical chain, step-growth), and cross-linking strategies.
• Examination of key properties such as thermal behavior, rheology, ion transport, self-healing, and stimuli-responsiveness.
• Survey of applications including adhesion, antimicrobial coatings, catalysis, devices, and energy storage.

Main Results:

• Increased diversity in ILM structures, including nonimidazolium cores, and expanded use of step-growth polymerization.
• Advancements in controlled polymerization methods and cross-linking techniques for CILs and PILs.
• Significant progress in understanding and tuning PIL properties like thermal transitions, viscoelasticity, ion transport, self-healing, and stimuli-responsiveness.
• Broadening scope of applications, particularly in energy storage (supercapacitors, batteries, fuel cells, solar cells), catalysis, and advanced materials.

Conclusions:

• PILs are increasingly important in materials science due to their tunable properties and diverse applications.
• Innovations in synthesis and a deeper understanding of properties are driving new applications.
• Future developments will likely focus on stimuli-responsive materials and energy-related applications.