Development of deep eutectic solvents for sustainable chemistry

Abstract

The worsening damage to the environment caused by chemical production has highlighted the need for sustainable chemistry. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are attracting increasing attention as a means of achieving sustainable chemistry. DESs are gradually replacing ionic liquids (ILs) as the best green solvents because of their similarity and superiority to ILs. This report summarizes the preparation and specific properties of DESs. DESs are tailorable and promote solubility, and have been implemented generally to the separation and extraction of various samples. Biocompatibility has been a major focus in the preparation of biomaterials. On the other hand, the properties of DESs, such as abundant individual hydrogen bonds, excellent dispersibility, and conductivity, give them a unique role in the field of material science, extraction, separation, and metal recycling. Moreover, DESs have been implemented widely in other study and the production of sustainable chemistry. This paper reviews most of the important novel studies on DESs. According to the development of sustainable chemistry, the applications of DESs are expected to diversify into sustainable chemistry as novel eco-friendly solvents.