5th Australasian Symposium on Ionic Liquids

Abstract

The diversity and intensity of ionic liquid (IL) research in the Australasian region has mirrored that worldwide, as these unique materials move from simply being conceptually interesting, to valuable commodities for many different areas of application. The presentations in the 5th Australasian Symposium on Ionic Liquids (ASIL-5) reflected the variety of research in the field and highlighted the exciting promise of ILs in applications ranging from electrochemistry to green chemistry, corrosion resistance to pharmaceutical salts. The fifth in the series of the very successful AustralasianSymposium on IonicLiquidswas held on the3rd–4th May 2012 in Clayton, Australia. The symposium was co-hosted by theARCCentre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science at Monash University, CSIRO and the Monash Ionic Liquids group. The symposiumwas initiated in 2003 and has remained a magnet for world-leaders in the field as well as a friendly forum for young students and researchers to present their work. International speakers at ASIL5 included Professor Hiroyuki Ohno, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Professor Frank Endres, Clausthal University of Technology, Professor Suojiang Zhang, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor EdwardMaggin, University of Notre Dame, Professor Toshiyuki Itoh, Totteri University, and Professor Sergey Verevkin, University of Rostock. The symposium also featured speakers from CSIRO and a range of Australian universities including Curtin University, Deakin University, Monash University, the University of Newcastle, the University of New South Wales, and the University of Sydney. Contributions from an invited selection of speakers are presented here, in this special IL issue of the Australian Journal of Chemistry – an International Journal for Chemical Science. The electrochemical applications of ILs have always been one of the leading interests in the field, particularly their use for electrodeposition and battery applications. Endres and coworkers, have shown that polycarbonate templates can be used within a chloroaluminate-based IL for the electrodeposition of aluminium nanowire electrodes. These electrodes show promising properties for use as anodes in lithium ion batteries, with good mechanical stability after 50 cycles in an IL-based electrolyte. Additives within chloroaluminate-based ILs can also influence the nucleation process, morphology, and crystallinity of aluminium electrodeposits, as reported by Zhang et al. Endres and coworkers also show that lithium can be deposited onto copper electrodes modified with polystyrene sphere opals, using an air and water stable IL-based medium, producing lithium either as hollow spheres or with a macroporous structure. This work highlights the complex nature of electrodeposition from ILs, and also points the way towards high surface area lithium electrodes that could be useful for rechargeable lithium metal micro-batteries. The use of ILs in lithium metal batteries is attracting increasing interest, particularly from a safety perspective as many ILs are non-flammable. One important aspect of this research involves understanding any chemical reaction between the lithium metal and the IL, normally assessed during or after cycling the battery. A novel approach is discussed here by Bhatt and coworkers, who report a significant influence of storage time on the morphology and performance of lithium electrodes in an IL/lithium salt medium. This indicates that for use of ILs in practical battery applications, the periods when the battery is not in use may also impact the performance.