Prof. John S. Wilkes, US Air Force Academy

The Chemistry Of and In Ionic Liquids

Some chemists who consider using an ionic liquid in an application are mystified about how to select a particular ionic liquid. Ionic liquids are not molecular liquids. They look the same as molecular liquids, but their properties are both dramatically and subtly different. A brief historical introduction to ionic liquids will illustrate this point, and then the properties of several types of ionic liquids will presented and will be compared with other fluids. Several examples where ionic liquids have been used for diverse purposes will illustrate a strategy for choosing an appropriate liquid.

Bio

Dr. Wilkes is a Professor of Chemistry at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. He is also the Director of the Chemistry Research Center there, which he founded in 1995. Previously he was at the Frank J. Seiler Research Laboratory, also at the Air Force Academy. From 1978 to 1995 Dr. Wilkes held positions as a research chemist, technical director and eventually laboratory director at the Seiler Research Lab. His research there concentrated mainly in the synthesis, properties and applications of room temperature molten salts; an area now called ionic liquids. Previous to his long tenure at the Air Force Academy, Dr. Wilkes served on active duty in the US Air Force, and on the faculty of the University of Colorado at Denver. He was born in the Panama Canal Zone (a US territory at the time, 1947), but he calls himself a native of Buffalo, NY. His father was a career Army officer, resulting in numerous relocations to Louisiana, Texas, Japan, Illinois, and France during his childhood and youth. He has a BA in chemistry from the University at Buffalo, and a PhD in Chemistry from Northwestern University. His current research interests include ionic liquids, hydrogen storage materials, and power sources for unmanned aerial vehicles.

For more information contact Dr. Art Janata (404-894-4828).