The conventional synthesis of functional materials relies heavily on water and organic solvents. Alternatively, the synthesis of functional materials using or in the presence of ionic liquids represents a burgeoning direction in materials chemistry.^1-4 Ionic liquids are a family of non-conventional molten salts that can act as both templates and precursors to functional materials, as well as solvents. They offer many advantages, such as negligible vapor pressures, wide liquidus ranges, good thermal stability, tunable solubility of both organic and inorganic molecules, and much synthesis flexibility. The unique solvation environment of these ionic liquids provides new reaction media for controlling formation of porous materials, creating functional groups in biphasic media, and tailoring morphologies of advanced materials. Challenges and opportunities in using ionic liquids for synthesizing functional materials in energy-related applications will be discussed.

Acknowledgment: This work was conducted at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and supported by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, U.S. Department of Energy, under contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with UT-Battelle, LLC.

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