Research Overview
My research interests are focused mainly at the physical chemistry of ionic liquids, organic salts that are liquid at or near room temperature, and their behaviour in solution. I am interested in how molecular structure shapes thermodynamic and transport properties, and in what that understanding unlocks for practical applications in separation science and green chemistry.
Thermodynamics and transport in ionic liquid systems
The thermophysical and thermodynamic characterisation of ionic liquid systems is the foundation of everything else. I measure and interpret properties including density, viscosity, heat capacity, conductivity, and phase behaviour across a wide range of compositions and temperatures. This work serves both to build reliable datasets for the field and to probe the relationship between molecular architecture and bulk behaviour. The way the identity of the cation and anion, and their interactions with co-solvents, determines whether a given system is practically useful.
Aqueous ionic liquid solutions
When ionic liquids are dissolved in water, or when water is present as a co-solvent, the system becomes both richer and more complex. I study hydration, ion pairing, and limiting behaviour at high dilution, drawing on conductivity, volumetric, and viscometric measurements.
Recent work has examined choline-based ionic liquids, salts derived from a naturally occurring, biocompatible cation, in aqueous solution, tracing how their behaviour at infinite dilution connects to structure and interactions in concentrated systems.
Extraction and green separation
Ionic liquids are tunable solvents: by choosing the right cation-anion combination, it is possible to design a liquid that selectively extracts a target compound from a complex mixture. I apply this to the development of greener separation processes, with current interest in the extraction of endocrine-disrupting micropollutants from aqueous environments.
This work sits at the intersection of thermodynamics and environmental chemistry, and connects to broader questions about how we can design selective solvents from first principles rather than by trial and error.
Biomass valorisation
Lignocellulosic biomass, raw material sourced from wood or herbaceous plants and composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, is an abundant, renewable carbon source. However, its recalcitrance makes it difficult to process. Ionic liquids, particularly those based on choline, can dissolve or fractionate components of biomass under mild conditions, opening routes to valorisation that avoid harsh reagents and high temperatures.
I am developing approaches to lignin dissolution and depolymerisation in ionic liquid systems, with the aim of producing useful aromatic building blocks from what is otherwise a low-value by-product of paper and biorefinery processes.
Selected recent collaborations
Prof. Johan Jacquemin, Materials Science, Energy, and Nano-engineering MSN Department, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Ben Guerir (Morocco)
Prof. Sandrine Bouquillon, Institut de Chimie Moléculaire, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims (France)
Dr. hab. Joanna Feder-Kubis, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclav (Poland)
Earlier work
Ionic liquids attracted early attention not just for their fundamental chemistry but for their potential as functional materials. Their high specific heat capacity and energy density make them candidates for thermal energy storage, while their wide electrochemical windows open possibilities for electrochemical applications.
In my earlier work I addressed both directions. On the electrochemical side, I investigated the effect of MWCNT nanoparticle concentration on the electrical conductivity of ionic liquid mixture. The temperature dependence of conductivity turned out to be linked to the non-Newtonian rheological behaviour of the same systems which, in turn, was linked to the NP concentration, a connection that points to deeper structural phenomena than simple charge transport.