Yan Jieming, Mangolini Filippo
Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin Austin TX 78712 USA.
Materials Science and Engineering Program, The University of Texas at Austin Austin TX 78712 USA.
RSC Adv. 2021 Nov 12;11(57):36273-36288. doi: 10.1039/d1ra05034f. eCollection 2021 Nov 4.
Ionic liquids (ILs) have attracted considerable attention in several sectors (from energy storage to catalysis, from drug delivery to separation media) owing to their attractive properties, such as high thermal stability, wide electrochemical window, and high ionic conductivity. However, their high viscosity and surface tension compared to conventional organic solvents can lead to unfavorable transport properties. To circumvent undesired kinetics effects limiting mass transfer, the discretization of ILs into small droplets has been proposed as a method to increase the effective surface area and the rates of mass transfer. In the present review paper, we summarize the different methods developed so far for encapsulating ILs in organic or inorganic shells and highlight characteristic features of each approach, while outlining potential applications. The remarkable tunability of ILs, which derives from the high number of anions and cations currently available as well as their permutations, combines with the possibility of tailoring the composition, size, dispersity, and properties (, mechanical, transport) of the shell to provide a toolbox for rationally designing encapsulated ILs for next-generation applications, including carbon capture, energy storage devices, waste handling, and microreactors. We conclude this review with an outlook on potential applications that could benefit from the possibility of encapsulating ILs in organic and inorganic shells.
离子液体（ILs）因其具有诸如高热稳定性、宽电化学窗口和高离子电导率等吸引人的特性，在多个领域（从能量存储到催化，从药物递送分离介质）引起了相当大的关注。然而，与传统有机溶剂相比，它们的高粘度和表面张力可能导致不利的传输特性。为了规避限制传质的不良动力学效应，已提出将离子液体离散成小液滴作为增加有效表面积和传质速率的一种方法。在本综述论文中，我们总结了迄今为止开发的将离子液体封装在有机或无机壳中的不同方法，突出了每种方法的特征，同时概述了潜在应用。离子液体具有显著的可调性，这源于目前可用的大量阴离子和阳离子及其排列方式，再结合定制壳的组成、尺寸、分散性和性质（如机械、传输性质）的可能性，为合理设计用于下一代应用（包括碳捕获、能量存储装置、废物处理和微反应器）的封装离子液体提供了一个工具箱。我们以对潜在应用的展望结束本综述，这些应用可能受益于将离子液体封装在有机和无机壳中的可能性。
