Research Overview
My research addresses the behaviour of ionic liquids, polymers, and other specific materials under conditions relevant to energy storage, separation technologies, and solution chemistry.
Liquid Phase Equilibria
Understanding how substances distribute between coexisting liquid phases is essential for designing efficient separation processes. I study phase equilibria in systems containing ionic liquids, which offer unique solvation properties and structural tunability. These systems challenge classical thermodynamic models and open up possibilities for novel separation strategies, especially in green chemistry.
For instance, a comprehensive study of mixtures of imidazolium- and amine-based ionic liquids, chosen for their carbon capture potential, revealed important insights into their thermophysical properties and molecular interactions (Jacquemin et al., 2012). This work highlights the role of fundamental understanding in advancing industrial applications.
Energy Storage
Developing better materials for thermal and electrochemical energy storage is a pressing challenge, particularly in the context of renewable energy integration. My research focuses on ionic liquids and their composites, primarily as phase change materials (PCMs) and thermal fluids. I explore how their molecular structure and composition influence thermal behaviour, aiming to identify systems with high capacity, tunable temperature ranges, and long-term reliability.
In several of our studies, high energy densities were observed in both ammonium- and imidazolium-based ionic liquids (MachanovĂĄ et al., 2015), suggesting their potential as thermal fluids. A common limitation, however, is high viscosityâthis can be mitigated by operating at elevated temperatures or using suitable admixtures (BendovĂĄ et al., 2019).
Some ionic liquids with higher melting points also exhibit relatively high melting enthalpies, indicating promise as PCMs (Äanji et al., 2019).
In addition, I have studied ionic liquids for electrochemical energy storage. A notable result is our work on ionanofluidsâmixtures of ionic liquids and nanoparticlesâwhere we characterized their thermophysical properties and explored their potential in electrochemical systems (Parmar et al., 2021).
Aqueous Solution Chemistry
In aqueous environments, ionic liquids and related salts raise fascinating questions about solvation, ion pairing, and salting-in/out of polymers or biomolecules. I am interested in how these substances interact with water, influencing properties such as solubility and conductivity. This work has implications for biochemistry, environmental remediation, and electrolyte design.
For example, in one study, we examined chiral ionic liquids with a methoxymenthol substituent on the cation using both experimental and molecular dynamics methods (BendovĂĄ et al., 2023). Experiments at near-infinite dilution provided a detailed picture of dissociation in aqueous media. We found that the effects of small, strongly hydrated anions are moderated by large cations bearing both polar and non-polar substituents, leading to asymmetric hydration patterns.