Empowering Zn Electrode Current Capability Along Interfacial Stability by Optimizing Intrinsic Safe Organic Electrolytes.

Metallic Zn is one of the most promising anodes, but its practical application has been hindered by dendritic growth and serious interfacial reactions in conventional electrolytes. Herein, ionic liquids are adopted to prepare intrinsically safe electrolytes via combining with TEP or TMP solvents. With this synergy effect, the blends of TEP/TMP with an IL fraction of ≈25 wt% are found to be promising electrolytes, with ionic conductivities comparable to those of standard phosphate-based electrolytes while electrochemical stabilities are considerably improved; over 1000 h at 2.0 mA cm-2 and ≈350 h at 5.0 mA cm-2 with a large areal capacity of 10 mAh cm-2 . The use of functionalized IL turns out to be a key factor in enhancing the Zn2+ transport due to the interaction of Zn2+ ions with IL-zincophilic sites resulting in reduced interfacial resistance between the electrodes and electrolyte upon cycling leading to spongy-like highly porous, homogeneous, and dendrite-free zinc as an anode material.

Advances in ionic liquids as fluorescent sensors.

Ionic liquids (ILs) are a class of liquid salts with characteristics such as a low melting point, an ionic nature, non-volatility, and tunable properties. Because of their adaptability, they have a significant influence in the field of fluorescence. This paper reviews the primary literature on the use of ILs in fluorescence sensing technologies. The kind of target material is utilized to classify the fluorescence sensors made with the use of ILs. They include using ILs as probes for metals, nitro explosives, small organic compounds, anions, and gases. The efficacy of an IL-based fluorescence sensor depends on the precise design to guarantee specificity, sensitivity, and a consistent reaction to the desired analyte. The precise method can differ depending on the chemical properties of the IL, the choice of fluorophore, and the interactions with the analyte. Overall, the viability of the aforementioned materials for chemical analysis is evaluated, and prospective possibilities for further development are identified.