11 Toward Industrialization of Ionic Liquids
279
11.5 The Future
Though the market for ionic liquids was well below the expectations in the last
decade, there is an increasing number of encouraging trends. Most impressive is the
57 implemented ionic liquid applications known to date, which is a clear improvement compared to 13 in 2008. Implemented applications with a potential for mass
applications are now a reality, and convincing examples can be found in this book.
Market studies by renowned consultancies estimate the market penetration in the
range of 1–2% of the accessible market; this highlights the huge growth potential
for future industrial applications—including mass applications. The continuously
growing number of annual patent applications, with a compound annual growth rate
of 21% over the last 15 years, is another strong key indicator. This is especially
impressive when considering that these patent applications cover a broad range of
cross-sectional fields. A recent paper was published by patent attorneys of Mathys
& Squire LLP, London, [59] entitled “Ionic liquids—The beginning of the end or
the end of the beginning? A look at the life of ionic liquids through patent claims.”
The authors reached the same conclusion as this chapter’s author; there will be an
optimistic future for ionic liquids, and “this is very much the end of the beginning
regarding ionic liquid technologies, and not the beginning of the end.”
In total, the publication data and survey data clearly reveal that ionic liquids will
continue to cross the frontier from laboratory experiments to implemented technologies. Without doubt, ambitious developments will lead to mass applications,
resulting in annual value creation of multibillion US dollars. The toolbox of ionic
liquids is established and ready, what remains lies in the power of imagination, inventive genius, committed investors, public awareness, and open-minded industries to
show that the best is yet to come for the commercialization of ionic liquids.
Acknowledgements The author is grateful to the participants of the survey for their support and
to Dr. Aaron Socha (Queens University of Charlotte) for his proofreading. He is also grateful to
colleagues from industry and academia for helpful comments during the extensive research for ionic
liquid implementations: Dr. Uwe Vagt (BASF SE), Dr. Thomas Schubert (IoLiTec GmbH), Dr. Hye
Kyung Timken (Chevron), PD Dr. Marco Haumann (Friedrich-Alexander University ErlangenNürnberg), and Prof. Dr. James H. Davis, Jr. (University of South Alabama).
References
1. Qiu Z (1993) Molten salt and slag in ancient China. Trans Nonferrous Met Soc China 3(1):91–
94. ISSN: 1003-6326
2. Hatt BW, Kerridge DH (1979) Industrial applications of molten salts. Chem Brit 15(2):78–79.
ISSN: 0009-3106
3. Gaune-Escard M, Haarberg GM (eds) (2014) Molten salts chemistry and technology, 1st ed.
Wiley, New York. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118448847
4. Walden P (1914) Molecular weights and electrical conductivity of several fused salts. Bull Imp
Acad Sci St-Pétersbourg 8:405–442. ISSN: 0366-3914
279
11.5 The Future
Though the market for ionic liquids was well below the expectations in the last
decade, there is an increasing number of encouraging trends. Most impressive is the
57 implemented ionic liquid applications known to date, which is a clear improvement compared to 13 in 2008. Implemented applications with a potential for mass
applications are now a reality, and convincing examples can be found in this book.
Market studies by renowned consultancies estimate the market penetration in the
range of 1–2% of the accessible market; this highlights the huge growth potential
for future industrial applications—including mass applications. The continuously
growing number of annual patent applications, with a compound annual growth rate
of 21% over the last 15 years, is another strong key indicator. This is especially
impressive when considering that these patent applications cover a broad range of
cross-sectional fields. A recent paper was published by patent attorneys of Mathys
& Squire LLP, London, [59] entitled “Ionic liquids—The beginning of the end or
the end of the beginning? A look at the life of ionic liquids through patent claims.”
The authors reached the same conclusion as this chapter’s author; there will be an
optimistic future for ionic liquids, and “this is very much the end of the beginning
regarding ionic liquid technologies, and not the beginning of the end.”
In total, the publication data and survey data clearly reveal that ionic liquids will
continue to cross the frontier from laboratory experiments to implemented technologies. Without doubt, ambitious developments will lead to mass applications,
resulting in annual value creation of multibillion US dollars. The toolbox of ionic
liquids is established and ready, what remains lies in the power of imagination, inventive genius, committed investors, public awareness, and open-minded industries to
show that the best is yet to come for the commercialization of ionic liquids.
Acknowledgements The author is grateful to the participants of the survey for their support and
to Dr. Aaron Socha (Queens University of Charlotte) for his proofreading. He is also grateful to
colleagues from industry and academia for helpful comments during the extensive research for ionic
liquid implementations: Dr. Uwe Vagt (BASF SE), Dr. Thomas Schubert (IoLiTec GmbH), Dr. Hye
Kyung Timken (Chevron), PD Dr. Marco Haumann (Friedrich-Alexander University ErlangenNürnberg), and Prof. Dr. James H. Davis, Jr. (University of South Alabama).
References
1. Qiu Z (1993) Molten salt and slag in ancient China. Trans Nonferrous Met Soc China 3(1):91–
94. ISSN: 1003-6326
2. Hatt BW, Kerridge DH (1979) Industrial applications of molten salts. Chem Brit 15(2):78–79.
ISSN: 0009-3106
3. Gaune-Escard M, Haarberg GM (eds) (2014) Molten salts chemistry and technology, 1st ed.
Wiley, New York. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118448847
4. Walden P (1914) Molecular weights and electrical conductivity of several fused salts. Bull Imp
Acad Sci St-Pétersbourg 8:405–442. ISSN: 0366-3914