Research Initiation Award: Analyzing Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquid Systems Using C-D Vibrational Labels on Cations

研究启动奖为历史悠久的黑人学院和大学的初级和职业生涯中期教师提供支持，这些教师正在建立新的研究计划或重新定向和重建现有的研究计划。预计该奖项将(1)促进教师的研究能力和有效性，(2)改善本国机构的研究和教学，(3)吸引更多来自代表性不足群体的本科生参与研究体验。路易斯安那州泽维尔大学是一所历史悠久的黑人学院/大学(HBCU)，该项目试图通过利用该机构现成的化学技术并通过与当地其他机构的合作，探索咪唑类离子液体的新颖性，这些离子液体具有巨大的潜力，可作为工业应用的“绿色”有机溶剂。此外，该项目旨在将本科生作为积极的研究人员，同时通过将拟议研究的结果纳入这些选定的课程来加强现有课程。因此，该项目具有显著的智力价值和更广泛的影响。咪唑基离子液体是复杂的空间非均相液体。在这项提议中，红外标记，特别是阳离子环上的C2-D探针，将被用来研究这些离子液体的复杂微环境如何随着温度的变化或在溶剂或溶解气体的存在下而变化。在计算研究的支持下，通过线性和非线性振动光谱对C-D带的红外响应进行分析，有望从分子水平深入了解这些液体对外部刺激的结构重组，如温度和溶质-溶剂相互作用的性质。通过这样做，结果将促进这些绿色溶剂在工业和实验室环境中的合理应用。该项目由历史黑人学院和大学本科项目(HBCU-UP)和既定的激励竞争研究项目(EPSCoR)联合资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Research Initiation Awards provide support for junior and mid-career faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities who are building new research programs or redirecting and rebuilding existing research programs. It is expected that the award will (1) further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, (2) improve research and teaching at the home institution, and (3) engage more undergraduate students from underrepresented groups in research experiences. The project from Xavier University of Louisiana, a Historically Black College/University (HBCU), seeks to explore the novelties of imidazolium-based ionic liquids that have significant potential as a “green” organic solvent for industrial applications by utilizing chemical techniques that are readily available at the institution and through collaboration with other local institutions. Furthermore, the project is designed to include undergraduate students as active researchers while providing enhancements to existing courses by integrating the results of the proposed research within those selected courses. Accordingly, the project has significant intellectual merit and broader impacts.Imidazolium-based ionic liquids are complex spatially heterogeneous liquids. In this proposal, infrared labels, particularly the C2-D probe on the cation ring, will be used to investigate how the complex microenvironment of these ionic liquids changes in response to a change in temperature or in the presence of a solvent or a dissolved gas. Analysis of the infrared response from the C-D band, both by linear and non-linear vibrational spectroscopy, supported by computational studies is expected to provide a deep molecular-level insights into the structural reorganization of these liquids in response to external stimuli like temperature and the nature of solute-solvent interactions. In doing so, the outcomes will facilitate rational application of these green solvents both in industrial and laboratory settings.This project is jointly funded by Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP), and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.