Ionic liquids and reactions at the electrochemical interface

Abstract

Ionic liquids (ILs) represent a fascinating, and yet to be fully understood, medium for a variety of chemical, physical and biological processes. Electrochemical processes form an important subset of these that are particularly of interest, since ILs tend to be good electrochemical solvents and exhibit other properties which make them very useful as electrolytes in electrochemical devices. It is important therefore to understand the extent to which electrochemical reactions and processes behave in a relatively “normal”, for example aqueous solution, fashion as opposed to exhibiting phenomena more uniquely the product of their organic ionic nature. This perspective examines a range of electrochemical reactions in ionic liquids, in many cases in the context of real world applications, to highlight the phenomena as far as they are understood and where data gaps exist. The important areas of lithium and conducting polymer electrochemistry are discussed in detail.