Synthesis and Modification of Nanoparticles with Ionic Liquids: a Review

Ionic liquids (ILs), defined as low-melting organic salts, are a novel class of compounds with unique properties and a combinatorially great chemical diversity. ILs are utilized as synthesis and dispersion media for nanoparticles as well as for surface functionalization. ILs are able to offer outstanding properties as media for the synthesis of nanoparticles. The low surface tension of many ILs leads to high nucleation rates and, in consequence, to small particles. The ILs themselves can act as an electronic as well as a steric stabilizer and depress particle growth. As highly structured liquids, ILs have a strong effect on the morphology of the particles formed. In this paper, the methods of modifying surfaces with ILs through covalent bonding, physical absorption, polymerization or sol–gel methods, metal nanoparticles in ionic liquids, and ionic liquids in catalysis, as well as the application of these modified surfaces in various fields of chemistry, have been investigated.