Edward Quitevis of Texas Tech University is supported by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program to study the role of nanostructural organization in the intermolecular dynamics of room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs). The main approach will be to use optical Kerr effect (OKE) spectroscopy to probe RTIL dynamics. The first part of the research deals with the behavior of RTILs in the bulk phase, and addresses the following questions: (1) How do the intermolecular dynamics differ in RTILs when nanostructural organization is absent? (2) If charge ordering plays a key role in determining the intermolecular dynamics of binary mixtures, will the OKE spectra of mixtures be nonadditive if the RTIL components have a common cation but different anions of the same size? (3) Is there a temperature above which temperature-independent OKE spectra become temperature-dependent? (4) Will binary mixtures still be nanostructurally organized if the RTIL components have a common anion but cations with different alkyl chain lengths? The second part of the research deals with the behavior of RTILs in nanoporous silica sol-gel glasses. The issues to be addressed here are whether RTILs that are nanostructurally organized in the bulk phase still maintain that organization in the silica sol-gel glass pores, and whether the nanostructural organization, if it exists, can be controlled by varying pore size or modifying the chemical nature of the pore surface. Outcomes are expected to shed light on the understanding of structure-function relationships in RTILs, and therefore impact technologically important areas where there is growing interest in electrolytes with high conductivity and good mechanical stability, and in the study of nanoliquid catalysis.
The properties of RTILs make them potential replacements for many volatile organic liquids currently in use as solvents. Industrial use of ionic liquid solvents could eliminate the health and environmental risks that are posed by volatile solvents currently in common use. The understanding of the structure-function relationships of RTILs in the studies will be of practical used to those who seek to understand ionic liquids and tailor them for specific applications. Beyond the technological benefits, this project includes a strong educational component that will provide research training to undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers. The PI has developed a pilot program to recruit underrepresented minority students who will participate in summer undergraduate research activities in his group at Texas Tech.
