Ionic liquids as crystallisation media for inorganic materials

Abstract

Ionic liquids (ILs) have made a great impact on materials science and are being explored for potential applications in several disciplines. In this article, we briefly highlight the current state-of-the-art techniques employing ILs as new crystallisation media, working as neutral solvent, template or charge compensating species. The use of an IL as environmental friendly solvent offers many advantages over traditional crystallisation methods. The change from molecular to ionic reaction media leads to new types of materials being accessible. Room temperature ILs have been found to be excellent solvent systems for the crystallisation of a wide range of substances and morphologies ranging from nanoscopic crystals to micro- and even to macroscopic crystals. Moreover, high temperature routes, such as crystallisation from melts or gas phase deposition, have been replaced by convenient room or low temperature syntheses, employing ILs as reaction media.