Development of Innovative Synthesis Methods of Nano-materials Using Ionic Liquid and Vacuum Techniques

Research Project Outline

Ionic liquid having negligible vapor pressure is not vaporized even in vacuum condition. Our experiments based on this unique feature led us to discovery of surprising phenomena; 1) Gold sputtering to ionic liquid results in synthesis of Au nanoparticles in the liquid; 2) Ionic liquid in a vacuum chamber can be observed by an electron microscope without any charging of the liquid. These must be the base technologies for developing novel nano-material synthesis and in situ measurements of chemical phenomena with several vacuum analytical instrument including electron microscopes. Realization of such the innovative ideas is the purpose of this research project.