"Electrical and optical properties of ionic liquids"

Ionic liquids (ILs) are salts with poorly coordinated ions, so that their melting point rests below 100 °C or even below room temperature. A vast number of ILs can be synthesized by proper combination of various cations and anions, enabling the fine tuning of their physical properties, so as to fit the needs of specific applications. Accounting also for their low-volatility and low-toxicity, ILs are “green” “designer” solvents at the forefront of research interest.

The research will focus on experimental measurements for the optical and electrical characterisation of selected families of ILs, by use of prism-coupling refractometry and dielectric spectroscopy techniques. This project is expected to produce important results for numerous applications of ILs in the fields of optofluidics and energy storage, as well as for better understanding the correlation between their macroscopic properties and their molecular structure. Part of the doctoral study will be in collaboration with the University of Pisa, Italy, particularly in the area of synthesis and ab initio modelling of IL’s.