OPPORTUNITY

Unlike conventional molten salts (for example, molten sodium chloride), ionic liquids often melt below 100 °C. When an ionic liquid has a melting point below room temperature, it is said to be a room-temperature ionic liquid. Since their melting points are low, room-temperature ionic liquids can act as reaction solvents. Room-temperature ionic liquids have been used as clean solvents and catalysts for green chemistry and as electrolytes for batteries, photochemistry and electro-synthesis. There are a number of properties inherent to ILs, which make them highly attractive for applications relative current technology: they have no vapor pressure (do not emit hazardous vapors or need replenishment), thermally and electrochemically stable, good solubility of both organic and organometallic compounds, offer good gas solubility, easily fine-tuned (by altering the cation-anion combination) to impart desired properties such as miscibility, viscosity, polarity and solubility. ILs can be used to replace organic solvents, making chemical processes more environmentally friendly.

BREAKTHROUGH IN IONIC LIQUIDS FOR BATTERIES

The technology described in this invention makes use of “boronium” ions as a versatile platform for creating stable, hydrophobic, room-temperature ILs. The patent, in particular, describes the potential use of the ILs described in fuel technology and electrical storage devices. These ILs have the ability to dissolve other salts, in particular metallic salts, such as lithium salts, which generates highly conductive solutions. This imparts properties on the ILs that give them stability, hydrophobicity and a range of unique electronic and spectroscopic characteristics. The ILs therefore have advantages over other solvents and other ILs across a wide variety of applications, in particular in energy storage.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

•  Excellent conductivity, battery capacity and cycling stability

•  Less expensive than lithium-ion batteries

•  Up to 11x energy density compared to lithium-ion batteries

•  Easily recycled

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY STATUS

Patent issued

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