Ionic liquids for energy, materials, and medicine.

As highlighted by the recent ChemComm web themed issue on ionic liquids, this field continues to develop beyond the concept of interesting new solvents for application in the greening of the chemical industry. Here some current research trends in the field will be discussed which show that ionic liquids research is still aimed squarely at solving major societal issues by taking advantage of new fundamental understanding of the nature of these salts in their low temperature liquid state. This article discusses current research trends in applications of ionic liquids to energy, materials, and medicines to provide some insight into the directions, motivations, challenges, and successes being achieved with ionic liquids today

Consumer education and food waste : an example of the bakery market - the case of young consumer

Purpose: In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to food waste. As part of Corporate Social Responsibility strategy, players in the food supply chain began to work to avoid and reduce food waste. Educational campaigns for consumer, which are implemented by government institutions and non-governmental organizations concerning the bakery sector are an initiative that meets the requirements linked to the idea of "Don't waste food". The aim of the article is to demonstrate the importance of consumer education in terms of minimizing waste in the food chain illustrated by the case of the bakery market in Poland, and thus eliminating the phenomenon of food waste. Design/Methodology/Approach: The methodology used includes analysis of primary and secondary sources as well as reports. A survey was carried out in focus groups among youth between 19 and 25 years old. 384 respondents participated in the survey. The survey was carried out between October and December 2018. Findings: Most products are wasted at the final stage of the food chain. Bread and bakery wares account for more than 50 % of total food waste. The most numerous group that admits to wasting bakery wares are young people. Among the most important reasons for wasting, respondents mentioned "Non-compliance with the use-by date" and "excessive amount of purchased bread". The respondents indicated a beneficial effect of educational campaigns on their behaviour in preventing bread waste. Practical Implications: Recognition of the importance of education among young people and its impact on the behaviour of wasting products in the bakery industry. Originality/Value: Identifying the reasons for wasting of bakery wares among young consumers and indicating the reasons for reducing the waste phenomenon.peer-reviewe

Environmental awareness of farmers vs. agricultural sustainability

Purpose: Modern agriculture aims at sustainable management, i.e., stable and, simultaneously, economically viable and socially acceptable production, without endangering the environment. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the ecological awareness and pro-environmental attitudes among farmers managing agricultural holdings located in Wielkopolskie Voivodship. Methodology: The source of empirical material comprised of a pilot survey conducted in 383 agricultural holdings in Wielkopolska. The measuring method consisted in a direct interview, using a standardized questionnaire. The questions were provided using the rank scale method, as well as the Likert scale. The collected information was analysed and subsequently characterised using descriptive statistics methods. The study was conducted from November 2018 to April 2019, both electronically and through direct contact with farmers. Findings: The study concludes that a large number of the surveyed farmers declared knowledge of Good Agricultural Practices (73%) and Principle of Cross-compliance (67%). The majority of agricultural producers in Wielkopolska (56%) were convinced of the negative impact of conventional agriculture and their activities on the environment. The surveyed farmers indicated their willingness to undertake pro-ecological measures in their agricultural holdings. Practical Implications: The farmers' environmental awareness is a key factor in reducing the negative impact of agricultural production on the natural environment. Originality/Value: Understanding farmers' attitudes and behavior in terms of environmental protection is essential to identify and implement effective protection measures.peer-reviewe

Superfluorinated Ionic Liquid Crystals Based on Supramolecular, Halogen-Bonded Anions

Unconventional ionic liquid crystals in which the liquid crystallinity is enabled by halogen-bonded supramolecular anions [CnF2n+1-I···I···I-CnF2n+1]- are reported. The material system is unique in many ways, demonstrating for the first time 1)ionic, halogen-bonded liquid crystals, and 2)imidazolium-based ionic liquid crystals in which the occurrence of liquid crystallinity is not driven by the alkyl chains of the cation

1D and 2D NMR Spectroscopy of Bonding Interactions within Stable and Phase-Separating Organic Electrolyte-Cellulose Solutions

Organic electrolyte solutions (i.e. mixtures containing an ionic liquid and a polar, molecular co-solvent) are highly versatile solvents for cellulose. However, the underlying solvent–solvent and solvent–solute interactions are not yet fully understood. Herein, mixtures of the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate, the co-solvent 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, and cellulose are investigated using 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. The use of a triply-13C-labelled ionic liquid enhances the signal-to-noise ratio for 13C NMR spectroscopy, enabling changes in bonding interactions to be accurately pinpointed. Current observations reveal an additional degree of complexity regarding the distinct roles of cation, anion, and co-solvent toward maintaining cellulose solubility and phase stability. Unexpectedly, the interactions between the dialkylimidazolium ring C2−H substituent and cellulose become more pronounced at high temperatures, counteracted by a net weakening of acetate–cellulose interactions. Moreover, for mixtures that exhibit critical solution behavior, phase separation is accompanied by the apparent recombination of cation–anion pairs

An ultra-high vacuum electrochemical/mass spectrometry study of anodic decomposition of a protic ionic liquid

Protic ionic liquids (PILs) are ionic liquids that are formed by proton transfer from Brønsted acids to Brønsted bases, and which are being proposed for use in a wide range of electrochemical devices. In this contribution, we describe electrolysis of the PIL diethylmethylammonium trifluoromethanesulfonate at Pd, Pt, and Au electrodes in an ultra- high vacuum chamber connected to a mass spectrometer. At potentials negative of about −0.8 V vs. Pd/H, reduction of the PIL cations occurs, liberating H2. Positive of about 2.2 V vs. Pd/H, electrooxidation of the PIL anions occurs, resulting in the detection of a number of fragments of the trifluoromethanesulfonate ions using the mass spectrometer. Notably, electrooxidation of the PIL anions occurs at the same potential, regardless of whether Pt, Au, or Pd is used as the electrode. In contrast, electrooxidation of water in the PIL occurs at different potentials in the PIL as the electrode composition changes. These results show that the electrochemical window of the PIL is independent of the electrode composition, but if water is present in the liquid, this independence is masked by the electrolysis of water

CO2 separation applying ionic liquid mixtures: the effect of mixing different anions on gas permeation through supported ionic liquid membranes

In order to increase flexibility in tailoring the permeability and selectivity of supported ionic liquid membranes (SILMs) for flue gas separation and natural gas purification, this work explores the use of ionic liquid mixtures. For that purpose, gas permeation properties of CO2, CH4 and N-2 in several binary ionic liquid mixtures based on a common cation ([C(2)mim](+)) and different anions such as bis(trifluoromethyl-sulfonyl) imide ([NTf2](-)), acetate ([Ac](-)), lactate ([Lac](-)), dicyanamide ([DCA](-)) and thiocyanate ([SCN](-)) were measured at 293 K using a time-lag apparatus. In addition to gas permeation results, the thermophysical properties of those mixtures, namely viscosity and density, were also determined so that trends between the two types of properties could be evaluated. The results show that mixing [Ac](-) or [Lac](-) with [NTf2](-) promotes the decrease of gas permeability and diffusivity of the SILMs based on those binary mixtures, essentially due to their high viscosities. The pure ionic liquids containing anions with nitrile groups, [DCA](-) or [SCN](-), and also their mixtures with [C(2)mim][NTf2] exhibit permselectivities ranging from 19.1 to 23.0 for CO2/CH4, and from 36.6 to 67.8 for CO2/N-2, as a consequence of a reduction in the CH4 and N-2 permeabilities, respectively. Furthermore, it is shown that mixing anions with different chemical features allows variations in ionic liquid viscosity and molar volume that impact the gas permeation properties of SILMs, offering a clear pathway for the optimization of their CO2 separation performances

Robust open cellular porous polymer monoliths made from cured colloidal gels of latex particles

The coagulation of oppositely charged latexes, prepared from the soap-free emulsion polymerisation of styrene using water as the reaction medium, resulted in the obtainment of colloidal gels that were porous in nature and held together by electrostatic interactions. Chemical crosslinking, involving the introduction of a water-soluble crosslinker, resulted in the obtainment of stronger chemical bonds between particles affording a rigid porous material known as a monolith. It was found that, in a simpler approach, these materials could be prepared using a single latex where the addition of ammonium persulfate both resulted in the formation of the colloidal gel and initiated the crosslinking process. The pore size of the resulting monoliths was predictable as this was observed to directly correlate to the particle diameter, with larger pores achieved using particles of increased size. All gels obtained in this work were highly mouldable and retained their shape, which allowed for a range of formats to be easily prepared without the requirement of a mould