Immobilization of molecule-based ionic liquids: a promising approach to improve elecrocatalyst performance towards the hydrogen evolution reaction

Ionic liquids (ILs) have received continuous attention owing to their unique chemical and physical properties and to their successful integration in several applications. More recently, ILs moved from their limited use as solvent to being immobilized onto surfaces providing new properties to the interface. The flexible design of these new families allows the transfer of some of their properties to the substrate. The aim of this review is therefore to summarize the recent achievements in the immobilization of ionic liquid based molecules and to illustrate their potential use to improve the electrocatalytic activity towards the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).