Sturlaugson, Adam

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

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

The goal of Dr. Sturlaugson's research is to understand how the structure of an ionic liquid (IL) determines the liquid's macroscopic properties, such as melting point and viscosity.  ILs are defined as salts with a melting temperature below 100°C, and, due to their large structural variability, it is estimated that there are over a trillion ILs possible.  Research in ILs has shown tremendous growth in the past  two decades, largely due to their enormous variability and the intersection of several desirable traits such as tunable solubility, negligible volatility, good thermal and electrochemical stability, and reasonable conductivity.  Current biomedical applications include antimicrobial agents, solvents for biocatalysis, drug delivery systems, and medicinal analytics [J. Mol. Liq. 272 (2018) 271-300].  However, it is not well understood how the chemical structure of an IL determines the bulk properties of the liquid.  Through synthesis, analysis, and molecular simulation of novel ionic liquids, Dr. Sturlaugson's lab investigates how the molecular structure of an IL influences its macroscopic properties such as viscosity and melting point. A better understanding of these structure-property relationships in ionic liquids will aid rationale IL design for and application to biomedical problems.