Highly proton-conductive electrolytes based on eutectic mixtures of protic ionic liquids and organic base or acids

In the last decade ionic liquids, commonly defined as molten salts with a melting point below 100 ℃, have received considerable attention as a result of their unique properties, which can include good thermal and electrochemical stability, low-vapor pressure and high ionic conductivity. Ionic liquids fall into two general classes: aprotic and protic, the latter of which has a mobile proton located on the cation. Protic ionic liquids have generally been less studied because of the reactivity of the active proton, but this feature makes them of significant interest as fuel cell electrolytes. In recent years, deeply eutectic mixtures have attracted extensive research due to their special physicochemical properties. In addition, if the mixed ionic liquids form a eutectic, then the melting temperature of the resulting mixture will be lower than that of the parent compounds, enabling its use in liquid state over a broader temperature range including lower operation temperatures. In this project we mix protic ionic liquids with organic base or acids, to achieve highly proton-conductive electrolytes, which also exhibit superior performance in fuel cell.