“…The size and shape of the ions and the absence of a dielectric solvent prevents organized ion packing, with both factors contributing to the materials existing in the liquid phase under ambient conditions. There is a substantial body of work extant focusing on the bulk physical properties of RTILs, including efforts aimed at understanding the role of hydrogen bonding in mediating mobility, characterizing mass and charge transport, − determining dissociation, − dielectric response, − and issues associated with local and long-range electrostatic interactions. − RTILs hold promise for a variety of practical applications, including use as solvents for chemical separations , and syntheses, , as electrolytes for supercapacitors − and fuel cells, , and potentially as novel electro-optic materials . Despite the wide range of applications for RTILs, there remain many fundamental issues to be resolved, especially with regard to fluidity and ion dynamics, and with understanding the organization and response of these materials when subjected to external forces.…”