Ionic liquids: A potential application in energy harvesting

To address the uprising issues of energy-resource depletion and environmental degradation, primarily rooted in severe dependency on fossil fuel, nonrenewable energy resources, the development of alternative renewable energy resources is critically required. Ionic liquids (ILs) belonging to a class of novel solvent medium, consist of inorganic anion and bulky organic cation. Their peculiar intrinsic properties such as low volatility and melting point, high conductivity and thermal stability have proven them to be promising candidates for energy harvesting applications such as dye-sensitized solar cells, biofuels, thermoelectric cells, etc. Exploring new opportunities and challenges of ILs’ use for future development of green, renewable energy resources, this chapter highlights the recent progress made in this prospect.