Ionic Liquids in Chemical Applications
Summary
Ionic liquids are salts that are liquid at or near ambient temperature, composed entirely of organic or inorganic cations and anions. Their negligible vapour pressure, wide electrochemical windows and exceptional thermal stability render them versatile media in synthesis, catalysis, separations and energy storage. By judicious choice of ion pairs, physicochemical properties such as viscosity, polarity and solvation power can be fine-tuned, giving rise to the concept of “designer solvents.” This tunability has driven applications ranging from selective gas capture and biomass pretreatment to advanced electrochemistry in batteries and supercapacitors. In catalysis, ionic liquids can solubilise both polar and non-polar substrates, stabilise reactive intermediates and facilitate catalyst recovery. In materials science, they serve as templates for porous networks and as electrolytes in electrodeposition. Their potential in pharmaceutical formulations has emerged through active pharmaceutical ingredient–ionic liquids, which combine drug molecules with ionic liquid counter-ions to enhance solubility and bioavailability. Collectively, these attributes have propelled ionic liquids from laboratory curiosities to candidates for sustainable industrial processes, bridging fundamental research with real-world impact.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Ionic Liquids in Chemical Applications publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in ionic liquids in chemical applications across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Ionic liquid: A salt in the liquid state below 100 °C, formed by bulky or asymmetric ions that prevent crystallisation.
Designer solvent: A fluid whose properties are tailored by selecting specific combinations of cations and anions to meet application needs.
Microstructural heterogeneity: The presence of distinct nanoscale domains within a liquid, arising from varied local interactions between ions.
Active pharmaceutical ingredient–ionic liquid (API-IL): A charged form of an active drug paired with a counter-ion to produce a liquid salt with enhanced physicochemical properties.
References
- Biological Activity of Ionic Liquids and Their Application in Pharmaceutics and Medicine. Chemical Reviews (2017).
- Ionic liquids for energy, materials, and medicine. Chemical Communications (2014).
- Microstructural and Dynamical Heterogeneities in Ionic Liquids. Chemical Reviews (2020).
- Industrial Applications of Ionic Liquids. Molecules (2020).
- Evaluation of Toxicity and Biodegradability of Cholinium Amino Acids Ionic Liquids. PLOS ONE (2013).
- Porous ionic liquids: synthesis and application. Chemical Science (2015).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.