To directly observe chemical processes in unusual, new materials is a scientific dream, made possible by modern microscopy methods: researchers at Kiel University have, for the first time, captured video images of the attachment of molecules in an ionic liquid onto a submerged electrode.
The images from the nanoscale world provide detailed information on the way in which chemical components reorganise when a voltage is applied. New findings based on this information may lead to improved batteries and more energy efficient coating technology or solar engineering.
Ionic liquids are organic salt melts, which may even be fluid at room temperature, although they contain no water. It is exactly this point that makes them so interesting for numerous experiments and industrial processes.
