When: 16 November, 15:00–16:00 CET
Where: LINXS, The Loop, Rydbergs torg 4, Lund, Sweden and online via Zoom
Speaker: Dr Shurui Miao, University of Oxford
Title: Self-assembly and cooperative relaxation in ionic liquids
Abstract
Ionic liquids are a novel class of liquids with high charge density and tuneable physicochemical properties. They offer a remarkable playground for understanding disordered condensed matter, bridging concepts from the physics of simple liquids to those of glass-forming liquids, complex fluids, and polymeric systems (1, 2). This breadth offers opportunities to design model systems in which interactions, structure, and dynamics can be tuned and interrogated across many orders of magnitude in length and time. Our work focusing on how this molecular tunability can be exploited to gain insights of the underlying physical principles that governs liquids (3-6). We use a range of spectroscopy and scattering methods to relate molecular features to bulk and interfacial behaviours and properties. Ultimately, we hope to showcase that we are on the verge to be able to engineer liquid materials, analogous to our ability to design solid materials.
References:
1 Hansen, J. P. & McDonald, I. R. Theory of Simple Liquids: with Applications to Soft Matter. (Academic Press, 2013).
2 Frenkel, J. Kinetic Theory of Liquids. (Oxford University Press, 1946).
3 Miao, S. et al. Tailored Diluent for Nanostructure and Viscosity Control in an Ionic Liquid. The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 130, 8113-8118 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.6c03434
4 Miao, S., Sardharwalla, A. & Perkin, S. Ion Diffusion Reveals Heterogeneous Viscosity in Nanostructured Ionic Liquids. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 15, 11855-11861 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c02996
5 Miao, S., Hoffmann, I., Gradzielski, M. & Warr, G. G. Lipid Membrane Flexibility in Protic Ionic Liquids. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 13, 5240-5245 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c00980
6 Miao, S., Atkin, R. & Warr, G. Design and applications of biocompatible choline amino acid ionic liquids. Green Chemistry 24, 7281-7304 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1039/D2GC02282F
Biography
Dr Shurui Miao is currently a Research Fellow in Physical Chemistry at St John’s College, University of Oxford. He completed his PhD at the University of Sydney worked with Prof. Gregory Warr. He moved to UK to work with Prof. Susan Perkin as a postdoc before being awarded his Fellowship in 2024.
interested in understanding structures and dynamics of complex liquids and solutions and is an experienced user of neutron and x-ray methods. His achievements have been recognised by many awards, including as the inaugural recipient of the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Springboard Award.
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