Authors : Kumari Suman

Volume/Issue : Volume 10 - 2025, Issue 12 - December

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/5dmd5h72

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/yr7sk8yf

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/25dec1220

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : Neoteric solvents, particularly ionic liquids (ILs) and ionic liquid crystals, have emerged as transformative alternatives to conventional organic solvents, addressing critical environmental and sustainability challenges in chemical processes. This review elucidates the necessity of green solvents amid escalating solvent waste—exceeding 26 million tons annually—and highlights ILs' tunable physicochemical properties, including low vapor pressure, high thermal stability (up to 400°C), wide electrochemical windows, and designer versatility through cation-anion combinations. We detail IL synthesis via quaternization and metathesis, classification (e.g., 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium systems), and properties enabling applications in electrochemical devices (supercapacitors, lithium batteries, DSSCs), organic synthesis (Diels-Alder, Heck reactions), extraction technologies, pharmaceuticals, gas handling, renewable energy, waste recycling, and advanced fluids. While ILs enhance process green metrics through recyclability and selectivity, challenges like toxicity and cost persist, underscoring the need for biocompatible variants and scalable production. Ionic liquid crystals, with stimulus-responsive anisotropy, show particular promise for energy storage electrolytes. This overview advocates broader adoption of ILs to advance sustainable chemistry, alongside emerging alternatives like switchable solvents.

Keywords : Ionic Liquids, Green Chemistry, Neoteric Solvents, Ionic Liquid Crystals, Sustainable Electrolytes, Electrochemical Applications, Solvent Extraction, Renewable Energy.

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