Self-organization of ionic liquids: Low-dimensionally ion-conductive liquid crystals

I&EC 281

Takashi Kato, kato@chiral.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp1, Masafumi Yoshio1, Tomohiro Mukai2, and Hiroyuki Ohno, ohnoh@cc.tuat.ac.jp2. (1) Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan, (2) Department of Biotechnology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan
We show the development of low-dimensional ion conductors based on ionic liquids. Phase-segregated nanostructures of columnar and smectic liquid crystals have been used to design and prepare anisotropic ion-conductive materials. We have employed two methods: chemical modification of imidazolium compounds and assembly of simple ionic liquids of imidazolium salts with hydrogen-bonded liquid-crystalline molecules. Their anisotropic ionic conductivities have been induced and enhanced by the macroscopic alignment of the ion-conductive paths at nanometer scale. The polymeric free-standing films have also been prepared by photopolymerization of the macroscopically oriented samples. The oriented nanostructures have been fixed in the solid films.
 

Ionic Liquids: Not Just Solvents Anymore OR Ionic Liquids: Parallel Futures (Sponsored by Green Chemistry and Engineering, Separation Science and Technology and Novel Chemistry with Industrial Applications Sub-Divisions)
1:30 PM-5:45 PM, Wednesday, 29 March 2006 Georgia World Congress Center -- B314, Oral

Division of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry

The 231st ACS National Meeting, Atlanta, GA, March 26-30, 2006