Ionic liquids (IL) are solvents composed entirely of ions and characterized by low melting points. They consist of large unsymmetrical organic cations and small organic or inorganic anions. Due to their low volatility and negligible vapor pressure they are called “green” solvent systems compared with conventional organic solvents. From the electrochemical point of view, some of the ILs have beneficial properties, such as high ionic conductivity and good electrochemical stability. If they also show air and moisture stability and low viscosity, ILs are of high interest as electrolyte system for the study of the charging-discharging and electropolymerization of conducting polymers (CPs). As the thermodynamics and kinetics of reactions carried out in ILs are different to those in conventional organic electrolytes, this opens up new interesting research areas in the field of CPs.
In our group ILs are used as electrolyte solutions in electropolymerization and characterization of conducting polymers and redox polymers.
