Collaborative Research: Physical Chemistry of Ionic Liquids

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In this award, funded by the Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanisms A (CSDM-A) Program of the Division of Chemistry, Professors Claudio Margulis of the University of Iowa and Edward Castner of Rutgers University - New Brunswick and their graduate and undergraduate student researchers are working on a joint experimental and theoretical project to investigate the behavior of an interesting class of materials (ionic liquids). The results from this work could help scientists understand how microscopic changes to the structure of the ionic liquid constituents result in macroscopic behavior. The hope of studies like this is to develop a framework for engineering these potentially useful substances for use in research and industrial processes. Graduate and undergraduate students working on this project will receive training in materials synthesis, x-ray methods and theory. This project will also incorporate Prof. Sharon Lall-Ramnarine of Queensborough Community College and her students in the research. Profs. Margulis and Castner will conduct a joint theoretical and experimental program to investigate a number of new ionic liquids, especially non-amphiphilic ones. The two groups will: (1) study the behavior of ionic liquids with cationic and anionic side chains of the same (8-mer) length; (2) investigate with theoretical methods the behavior of ionic liquids with silyl and siloxy functionalities; and (3) compare ionic liquids with ether and alkyl functionalities. For this work, new ionic liquid compounds will be synthesized, surface characterization, x-ray scattering and x-ray photoelectrons spectroscopy measurements will be carried out at Rutgers University and the Advanced Photon Source of Argonne National Laboratory. Computational chemistry work will be carried out in the group of Prof. Margulis. The team also includes Prof. Sharon Lall-Ramnarine of Queensborough Community College, a minority serving undergraduate institution that is part of the CUNY system. Prof. Lall-Ramnarine will work on research in this project with some of her chemistry students.