Sturlaugson, Adam

• Ph.D., Physical Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 

• B.S., Chemistry & Biology, University of Sioux Falls, SD

Dr. Sturlaugson's lab studies the physical and chemical properties of ionic liquids (ILs). ILs are defined as salts with a melting temperature below 100°C, with many existing as liquids even at room temperature. Due to their large structural variability, it is estimated that there are over a trillion ILs possible. ILs have found application as custom solvents, electrolytes, antimicrobials, and drug delivery systems. Through synthesis, chemical analysis, and molecular simulation of ionic liquids, the Sturlaugson lab seeks to understand their structure- property relationships to help aid rational IL design for a given application. Dr. Sturlaugson's lab is currently investigating a relatively new class of ILs which contain the thiazolium cation. Since thiazolium cations are also present in vitamin B1 (thiamine) and in several antimicrobial/antimalarial candidates, it is expected that thiazolium ILs will have enhanced biocompatibility compared to the better-known imidazolium-based ILs. With the goal of advancing their use in biomedical applications such as surfactants, antimicrobials, and biosensors, the Sturlaugson lab’s thiazolium IL research approach is three-pronged:

1)    New thiazolium ILs are synthesized and characterized physiochemically. The Sturlaugson lab is equipped to measure densities, viscosities, water content (Karl-Fisher titration), melting point, and NMR, IR, UV- Vis, and fluorescence spectra. Work is also underway to obtain crystal structures of ILs that are solid at room temperature.

2)    ILs are modeled through molecular-level simulation (molecular dynamics, MD). MD simulations can provide descriptions of the structure and dynamics of the liquid at the molecular level. The information gained from an MD simulation can be used to help explain the macroscopic properties of the sample. The Sturlaugson lab is also developing the necessary parameters to run MD simulations on never-before- simulated ILs.

3) Spectroscopic properties, such as absorbance and fluorescence, of ILs are measured. Many ILs are intrinsically fluorescent and appear to display unique fluorescence due to aggregation. With the recent addition of a time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) experimental setup, the Sturlaugson lab is now able to also measure fluorescence lifetimes and is working toward using this technique to measure molecular rotation times via fluorescence anisotropy decay experiments. Information gleaned from these experiments can be used to study the molecular-level structure and dynamics of an IL and to help validate MD simulations of ILs.