Microwave-Assisted Synthesis and Morphological Characterization of Chiral Poly(amide-imide) Nanostructures in Molten Ionic Liquid Salt

Microwave Encounters Ionic Liquid: Synergistic Mechanism, Synthesis and Emerging Applications

Progress in microwave (MW) energy application technology has stimulated remarkable advances in manufacturing and high-quality applications of ionic liquids (ILs) that are generally used as novel media in chemical engineering. This Review focuses on an emerging technology via the combination of MW energy and the usage of ILs, termed microwave-assisted ionic liquid (MAIL) technology. In comparison to conventional routes that rely on heat transfer through media, the contactless and unique MW heating exploits the electromagnetic wave-ions interactions to deliver energy to IL molecules, accelerating the process of material synthesis, catalytic reactions, and so on. In addition to the inherent advantages of ILs, including outstanding solubility, and well-tuned thermophysical properties, MAIL technology has exhibited great potential in process intensification to meet the requirement of efficient, economic chemical production. Here we start with an introduction to principles of MW heating, highlighting fundamental mechanisms of MW induced process intensification based on ILs. Next, the synergies of MW energy and ILs employed in materials synthesis, as well as their merits, are documented. The emerging applications of MAIL technologies are summarized in the next sections, involving tumor therapy, organic catalysis, separations, and bioconversions. Finally, the current challenges and future opportunities of this emerging technology are discussed.

New Developments in Material Preparation Using a Combination of Ionic Liquids and Microwave Irradiation

During recent years, synthetic methods combining microwaves and ionic liquids became accepted as a promising methodology for various materials preparations because of their high efficiency and low energy consumption. Ionic liquids with high polarity are heated rapidly, volumetrically and simultaneously under microwave irradiation. Hence, combination of microwave irradiation as a heating source with ionic liquids with various roles (e.g., solvent, additive, template or reactant) opened a completely new technique in the last twenty years for nanomaterials and polymers preparation for applications in various materials science fields including polymer science. This review summarizes recent developments of some common materials syntheses using microwave-assisted ionic liquid method with a focus on inorganic nanomaterials, polymers, carbon-derived composites and biomass-based composites. After that, the mechanisms involved in microwave-assisted ionic-liquid (MAIL) are discussed briefly. This review also highlights the role of ionic liquids in the reaction and crucial issues that should be addressed in future research involving this synthesis technique.

The fabrication and characterization of nanocomposites containing new poly(amide–imide) based on 4,4-methylenebis(3-chloro-2,6-diethyl trimellitimidobenzene) and carboxylic acid-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes

In this article, a nanostructure poly(amide–imide) (PAI) was prepared from the polymerization of 4,4′-methylenebis(3-chloro-2,6-diethyl trimellitimidobenzene) with 3,5-diamino- N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)benzamide using tetra- n-butylammonium bromide as a green media and triphenylphosphite as a condensing agent. This methodology is safe and green since toxic and volatile organic solvents were eliminated. To obtain a homogeneous dispersion of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in the PAI matrix, carboxyl-modified MWCNT (CA-MWCNT) was used. The resulting nanocomposites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and thermogravimetric analysis. TEM and FESEM results confirm good dispersion of CA-MWCNTs in the polymer matrix.

Ultra-rapid microwave synthesis of Li3−x−yMxN (M = Co, Ni and Cu) nitridometallates

Phase-pure ternary lithium nitrides with demonstrable Li⁺ ion vacancy concentrations can be synthesised by low power microwave reactions in times reduced by orders of magnitude over conventional heating approaches; the electrochemical performance of the materials has been determined.