With generous support from the US Air Force, Boron Specialties and collaborators at UCLA and UC Riverside are developing new “boron cage ionic liquid” (BCIL) electrolytes featuring polyhedral boron cages as the anionic component. These new materials can drive an electrochemical variable emissivity device (EC VED).
In these new electrolytes, the negligible vapor pressures and high ionic conductivities of standard ILs will be combined with the exceptional stabilities inherent to boron-cage anions. Whereas standard commercial ILs have known degradation pathways, the enhanced stabilities of these new boron cage ionic liquids (BCILs) will allow them to perform repeated tasks over long periods of time without the need for replacement or repair. As these cages may be rationally functionalized, control of the fluid properties of these ILs will rest with the anion, which has been one of our areas of research focus.
