Ionic Liquids as Energetic Materials

Ionic liquids (ILs) have received considerable attention as green solvents in organic synthesis and advanced materials. Recent interest was focused on energetic ILs with the aim to reduce the overall exposure to hazardous and potential toxic materials. Compared with traditional energetic compounds, such as TNT, HMX, and RDX, energetic ILs have several advantages, such as excellent stability, negligible vapor pressure, higher density and little or no vapor toxicity. In addition, their properties are readily tuned through independent modification of both cationic and anionic components. The approach significantly increases the numbers of compounds available.