Ionic liquids intercalated in kaolinite constitute a novel class of nanostructured material. Kaolinite-pyrrolidinium halide intercalates have been prepared successfully by reacting the pyrrolidinium salts with kaolinite which was preintercalated with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) using the melt condition under N2. X-ray diffraction, 13C magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance, differential thermal analysis (DTA)-thermal gravimetric analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirm the displacement of DMSO during the intercalation process. Based on results from the various characterization techniques, a structural model is proposed in which one mole of the pyrrolidinium salt covers two or three structural units of kaolinite, depending on the structure and size of the salt. The thermal stability was improved remarkably after intercalation of the pyrrolidinium salts, compared to the pre-intercalate. The DTA-TGA data show that the largest number of organic units released and decomposed, occurs under N2 flow, at temperatures ranging from 260 to 340°C, depending on the nature of the intercalated organic salts.

Ionic liquids (ILs) are a very interesting new class of fluid materials because of their unique characteristics, such as wide chemical, thermal, and electrochemical stability, high ion conduction, non-detectable vapor pressure, nonflammability, and good-to-excellent capability to dissolve inorganic, organic, and polymer compounds. ILs are proposed for a very wide variety of applications, including electrochemical devices. However, high purity ILs, particularly for high-energy electrochemical applications, are not widely available commercially. In addition, solvent restriction and environmental impact, as well as the possibility to fully recycle chemicals and reagents, represent the most stringent requirements for the future synthesis processes of ILs. This article reviews synthesis route improvements in terms of environment impact solvents, chemical recycling and cost, and process yield for obtaining high purity (below 50 ppm) ILs.