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

研究启动奖为历史上黑人学院和大学的初级和中级职业教师提供支持，他们正在建立新的研究项目或重新定向和重建现有的研究项目。预计该奖项将（1）进一步教师的研究能力和有效性，（2）提高研究和教学在家庭机构，和（3）从事更多的本科生从研究经验的代表性不足的群体。路易斯安那州泽维尔大学是一所历史上的黑人学院/大学（HBCU），该项目旨在探索咪唑基离子液体的新颖性，这些离子液体具有作为工业应用“绿色”有机溶剂的巨大潜力，通过利用该机构现成的化学技术并通过与其他当地机构的合作。 此外，该项目的目的是包括本科生作为积极的研究人员，同时提供增强现有的课程，通过整合这些选定的课程内的拟议研究的结果。 咪唑类离子液体是一种复杂的空间非均相液体。在这个提议中，红外标签，特别是阳离子环上的C2-D探针，将用于研究这些离子液体的复杂微环境如何响应温度变化或溶剂或溶解气体的存在而变化。通过线性和非线性振动光谱分析C-D带的红外响应，并得到计算研究的支持，预计将为这些液体响应于外部刺激（如温度和溶质-溶剂相互作用的性质）的结构重组提供深入的分子水平见解。在这样做的过程中，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。激励竞争研究计划（EPSCoR）该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值进行评估，更广泛的影响审查标准。

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.