To identify the significant barriers to the widespread use of ionic liquids and to enable the collaboration of multi-disciplinary partners to work together to remove the barriers. Ionic liquids represent an emerging and potentially disruptive technology in separations, catalysis, and chemical synthesis.

• Published ionic liquids roadmap: Accelerating Ionic Liquid Commercialization - Research Needs to Advance New Technology (PDF 1.8 MB).
• The DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences included fundamental research in ionic liquids in its SBIR solicitation and referred potential respondents to the Vision2020 Ionic Liquids Roadmap.
• Published a thorough literature search on the industrial applications of ionic liquids and potential applications of ionic liquids. See the results of the literature search (PDF 226 KB). Technical Summaries on Ionic Liquids in Chemical Processing, Sheng Dai, David DePaoli, Mark Dietz, Jimmy Mays, Joanna McFarlane, William Steele. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, University of Tennessee. 2003. (PDF 393 KB)
• Ionic Liquids Reference Lists, Robin Rogers (PDF 565 KB)
• "Barriers to Ionic Liquid Commercialization" Workshop Presentations
• Catalysis and Ionic Liquids, Jeff Miller, BP Chemicals. (PDF 1.8 MB)
• Overview: Technical Summaries on Ionic Liquids in Chemical Processing, David DePaoli, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (PDF 220 KB)
• Overview: Industrial Application of Ionic Liquids for Liquid Extraction, Jeff Kanel, J.S. Kanel & Associates. (PDF 191 KB)
• "Barriers to Ionic Liquid Commercialization" Workshop Results, BCS, Incorporated. (PDF 172 KB)

• Featured Ionic Liquids as R&D topic at Vision2020/CCR Collaboration Workshop and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Spring Meeting.
• Completed Roadmap, literature and patent review.  Held a workshop in with ACS where 40 experts (fundamental researchers, manufacturers and potential end users of ionic liquids from around the world) identified research and industrial barriers to commercialization of ionic liquids and priority research needs to overcome these barriers.

The Vision2020 Steering committee will promote collaborative research on barriers identified in the roadmap, and circulate the roadmap to funding agencies and universities.

Industry: AkzoNobel Chemicals, Armour Associates, Ltd., BCS, Incorporated, BP Chemicals, Chem Tech Research Incorporation (C-TRI), Degussa AG, DuPont, Eastman Chemical Company, Fairfield Resources, J. S. Kanel & Associates, LLC, Merck KgaA, Germany, National Starch and Chemical Company, Praxair, Incorporated, Reilly Industries, Incorporated, Texaco/Chevron, UOP LLC

National Laboratories: Argonne National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Non-Governmental Organizations: American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Chemical Society, Gas Technology Institute, Materials Technology Institute

Universities: Rheinisch Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen (RWTH Aachen - Institute of Technology of the State of Nordrhein-Westfalen), The University of Alabama, University of Notre Dame, University of South Alabama, Yokohama National University

Emory Ford
413-872-8724
easford@comcast.net