Karolina Matuszek

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Research Associate at Monash University (Australia)

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have considerable application potential. Due to their unique electrical properties, they are expected to become critical components of future microelectronics. However, their ability to propagate charge, commonly gauged by measuring electrical conductivity, is still unsatisfactory. One of the most straightfor...

While the world remains dependent on fossil fuels in nearly every aspect of life, unused biomass is piling up as waste, despite its significant potential for valuable applications—a critical missed opportunity for sustainable innovation. Phase change materials (PCMs) have emerged as a pivotal technology in the urgent transition toward carbon neutra...

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) with melting temperatures in the intermediate range (100–220 °C) have recently been in high demand for applications in solar and wind renewable energy storage. Such materials can help advance thermal battery technologies, such as Carnot batteries, that can reduce the amount of fossil fuels used to generate electricity,...

The global aim to move away from fossil fuels requires efficient, inexpensive and sustainable energy storage to fully use renewable energy sources. Thermal energy storage materials1,2 in combination with a Carnot battery3, 4–5 could revolutionize the energy storage sector. However, a lack of stable, inexpensive and energy-dense thermal energy stora...

This work reports the on first solvate ionic liquids (SILs) based on aluminium(III) or gallium(III) triflate, M(OTf)3 and triglyme (G3). Liquid-phase speciation of these new SILs was studied by multinuclear...

Innovative thermal battery technology has the capability to revolutionize the renewable energy storage market.

Ionic liquids and their various analogues are without doubt the scientific sensation of the last few decades, paving the way to a more sustainable society. Their versatile suite of properties, originating from an almost inconceivably large number of possible cation and anion combinations, allows tuning of the structure to serve a desired purpose. I...

Renewable energy sources remain largely underutilised due to their intermittent nature. One potential solution is to store renewable thermal energy in phase change materials (PCMs), which absorb and release energy in a reversible phase transition. A clear understanding of the molecular origins of heat of fusion (ΔHf) is required to design efficient...

Phase-change materials (PCMs) that melt in the intermediate temperature range of 100–220 °C can contribute to the utilization of renewable energy. Compounds rich in hydroxyl groups (e.g., sugar alcohols) are promising materials because of their high energy-storage densities and renewability. However, supercooling and poor stability under operating...

The isothermal nature of latent energy storage makes phase change materials (PCMs) uniquely suited to facilitate highly efficient “Thermal Batteries” for the storage of renewable energy. Nevertheless, suitable PCMs for this application are scarce, which is largely due to the challenges of targeting a high enthalpy of fusion among the various other...

The “Thermal Battery” offers the possibility of an inexpensive renewable energy storage system, deployable at either distributed- or grid-scale. For high efficiency, a crucial component of this system is an effective phase change material (PCM) that melts within the intermediate temperature range (100–220 °C) and is inexpensive, stable and sustaina...

Electrochemical lithium-mediated nitrogen reduction can enable synthesis of ammonia from renewables in a distributed fashion on various scales, but its integration into electrolyser devices presents an ongoing challenge, in particular...

Thermal energy storage technologies utilizing phase change materials (PCMs) that melt in the intermediate temperature range, between 100 and 220 °C, have the potential to mitigate the intermittency issues of wind and solar energy. This technology can take thermal or electrical energy from renewable sources and store it in the form of heat. This is...

This work deals with the production of crystalline nanocellulose (CNC) through an acid hydrolysis reaction using protic ionic liquids (PILs) as solvents and catalysts. The PILs used belong to a series derived from a common cation, 1-methyl- imidazolium and anionic clusters of the general formula [(HSO4)(H2SO4)x]⁻ (x = 0, 1, 2). These PILs were used...

Beyond its use in the fertiliser and chemical industries1, ammonia is currently seen as a potential replacement for carbon-based fuels and as a carrier for worldwide transportation of renewable energy2. Implementation of this vision requires transformation of the existing fossil fuel based technology for NH3 production3 to a simpler, scale-flexible...

Apart from its role as a main precursor of the synthetic fertiliser production, ammonia is likely to become an even more important chemical in the future due to its prospects as an energy carrier. ⁽¹⁾ To meet the associated growing demand while meeting the CO 2 emission reductions targets, recent efforts have aimed to translate the conventional pol...

Phase change materials (PCM) that store and release thermal energy via a reversible phase transition in the intermediate temperature range are a promising solution for renewable energy storage as they can be durable and inexpensive. Towards the development and understanding of new intermediate PCMs, this work describes a family of pyridinium ionic...

Charge transport properties in single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) can be significantly modified through doping, tuning their electrical and thermoelectric properties. In our study, we used more than 40 nitrogen-bearing compounds as dopants and determined their impact on the material’s electrical conductivity. The application of nitrogen compou...

As a result of strict regulations of phthalate plasticizers, alternative non-phthalate forms are desired and increasingly used. This work presents a synthetic method for alternative plasticizers (dialkyl succinates and adipates) via esterification of succinic and adipic acid with alcohols: butan-1-ol and 2-ethylhexan-1-ol. Ionic liquids were synthe...

The development of new phase change materials that can store large amounts of renewable thermal energy will aid the decarbonisation of the energy sector that is crucial for future generations. For substantial development of these materials, understanding the relationships that underpin the enthalpy of fusion (ΔHf) is critical. In the present work,...

Carbohydrate moieties were combined with various cross-linkable anions (thiocyanate [SCN], tetracyanoborate [TCB], tricyanomethanide [TCM], and dicyanamide [DCA]) and investigated as precursors for the synthesis of nitrogen-doped and nitrogen-/sulfur-co-doped carbons. The influence of the molecular structures of the precursors on their thermophysic...

Shuttling protons in ammonia synthesis An electrochemical route to ammonia could substantially lower the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the current thermal Haber-Bosch process. One relatively promising option under study involves reductive formation of lithium nitride, which can be protonated to ammonia. However, the ethanol used to date...

A dearth of inexpensive means of energy storage is constraining the expansion of intermittent renewable energy sources such as sun and wind. Thermal energy storage technology utilizing phase‐change materials (PCMs) is a promising solution, enabling storage of large quantities of thermal energy at a relatively low cost. Guanidinium mesylate, which m...

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are materials with exceptional electrical, thermal, mechanical, and optical properties. Ever since it was demonstrated that they also possess interesting thermoelectric properties, they have been considered a promising solution for thermal energy harvesting. In this study, we present a simple method to enhance their performa...

This Perspective discusses the evolution and promise of the emerging application of ionic liquids for renewable thermal energy storage.

Inexpensive Brønsted acidic ionic liquids based on trimethylamine and sulfuric acid are proposed as both solvents and catalysts in the synthesis of alternative plasticizer bis(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate, which has a broad spectrum of applications in plasticization processes. The utilization of 50 mol % of Brønsted ionic liquid led to the full conv...

Alkyl levulinates are bio-derived chemicals, increasingly popular for their uses as solvents, additives and intermediates. However, efficient and recyclable catalysts for their synthesis are still the subject of intensive research. In this study, a wide range of alkyl levulinates was synthesized under mild conditions (room temperature, atmospheric...

Phase change materials (PCMs) which melt in the temperature range of 100-230 °C, are a promising alternative for the storage of thermal energy. In this range, large amounts of energy available from solar-thermal, or other forms of renewable heat, can be stored and applied to domestic or industrial processes, or to an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) eng...

Low solubility of terephthalic acid in common solvents makes its industrial production very difficult and not environmentally benign. Ionic liquids are known for their extraordinary solvent properties, with capability to dissolve a wide variety of materials, from common solvents to cellulose, opening new possibilities to find more suitable solvents...

The Cover Feature shows the cycling of a phase‐change material in the context of solar‐thermal energy storage application. Energy in the form of heat is harvested from the sun during the day, causing the melting of the phase‐change material. The energy is stored in the liquid form and can be slowly released after sunset. Phase‐change materials can...

Phase change materials (PCMs) which melt in the temperature range of 100-230 °C, are a promising alternative for the storage of thermal energy. In this range, large amounts of energy available from solar-thermal, or other forms of renewable heat, can be stored and applied to domestic or industrial processes, or to an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) eng...

Thermal energy storage technology utilizing phase‐change materials (PCMs) can be a promising solution for the intermittency of renewable energy sources. This work describes a novel family of PCMs based on the pyrazolium cation, that operate in the 100–200 °C temperature range, offering safe, inexpensive capacity and low supercooling. Thermal stabil...

The sodium-ion battery (SIB) is proposed as a complementary technology to today’s commercially dominant lithium-ion battery (LIB), mainly due to the numerous analogies between them, but with SIBs offering better long-term sustainability in terms of natural resources. While much know-how can be transferred from LIBs to SIBs, adjustments are still ne...

Renewable energy has the ultimate capacity to resolve the environmental and scarcity challenges of the world’s energy supplies. However, both the utility of these sources and the economics of their implementation are strongly limited by their intermittent nature; inexpensive means of energy storage therefore needs to be part of the design. Distribu...

An overview of the field of ionic liquids is presented, including the nomenclature and types of ionic liquids. Their synthesis and purification methods are described, along with typical characterisation procedures and general physico‐chemical properties. The various applications of ionic liquids are also summarised including in batteries, in green...

Inexpensive Brønsted acidic ionic liquids, suitable for industrial-scale catalysis, are reported as reaction media and catalysts for the Beckmann rearrangement of cyclohexanone oxime to ϵ-caprolactam. A family of protic ionic liquids was synthesised from nitrogen bases (1-methylimidazole, N,N,N-triethylamine, N-methylpyrrolidine, 2-picoline) and su...

Coordination complexes of Lewis acidic metal chlorides: AlCl3, GaCl3, InCl3, SbCl3, SnCl4, SnCl2, ZnCl2 and TiCl4 with trioctylphosphine (P888) and with trioctylphosphine oxide (P888O) were synthesised. All compounds formed liquid coordination complexes (LCCs) at ambient temperature, although decomposition via redox mechanism was detected in some c...

The kinetics of polymerization of Bisphenol-A diglycidyl ether (DGEBA), a well-known epoxy resin, with two ionic amines 1-(3-aminopropyl)-3-butylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([apbim][NTf2]) and the tetrabutylammonium leucine ([N4444][Leu]) have been studied with the use of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and broadband diele...

Ionic liquids based on the tricoordinate borenium cation were used for the first time as Lewis acid catalysts for a model Diels–Alder reaction. The conversion of the dienophile was successfully correlated with the Gutmann acceptor number values of the ionic liquids. Borenium ionic liquids exceeded the performance of catalysts reported in the litera...

In this paper, the kinetics of the radical polymerization of two monomeric ionic liquids: 1-ethyl- and 1-butyl-3-vinylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([evim][NTf2] and [bvim][NTf2], respectively) as well as the molecular dynamics of the obtained polymers were investigated by means of Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy (BDS), Fourier T...

Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy (BDS) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) have been employed to probe dynamics and charge transport of 1-butyl-3-vinylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([bvim][NTf2]) confined in native uniaxial AAO pores as well as to study kinetics of radical polymerization of the examined compound as a funct...

The Baeyer—Villinger oxidation of cyclic ketones with H2O2 as oxidizing agent using a range of metal chlorides in different solvents or neat chlorogallate(III) ionic liquids is investigated.

Baeyer–Villiger oxidation of cyclic ketones, using H2O2 as the oxidising agent, was systematically studied using a range of metal chlorides in different solvents, and in neat chlorogallate(III) ionic liquids. The extremely high activity of GaCl3 in promoting oxidation with H2O2, irrespective of solvent, was reported for the first time. The activity...

A range of Lewis acidic metal chlorides were tested as homogeneous catalysts in a model Diels-Alder reaction; AlCl3 and GaCl3 performed best in terms of conversion and endo: exo selectivity. Based on this outcome, the corresponding chlorometallate(III) ionic liquids were tested as homogeneous catalysts, without a decrease in performance compared to...

Friedel-Crafts alkylation of benzene with 1-decene was catalysed by a new family of liquid Lewis acids: liquid coordination complexes (LCCs). LCCs are prepared by mixing a metal halide (e.g. GaCl3) and a donor molecule (e.g. N,N-dimethylacetamide, urea, or trioctylphosphine oxide), with metal halide typically used in excess. This leads to the forma...

The application of the peroxy ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium peroxymonosulphate as an oxidation agent and a solvent for the synthesis of epoxides was described. The 2.5-molar excess of the peroxy ionic liquid to olefin was applied. The reaction system consisted of 1,1,1-trifluoroacetone as the oxirane precursor, which was used with the mo...

The electrochemical deposition of zinc coatings from 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM]Cl) baths on steel substrate was described in this paper. The influence of [ZnCl2]/[BMIMCl] ratio, current density as well as temperature have been investigated. It was found that electrodeposition in all of tested baths and parameters allowed to obtain...

Aiming at inexpensive Brønsted-acidic ionic liquids, suitable for industrial-scale catalysis, a family of protonic ionic liquids based on nitrogen bases and sulfuric acid has been developed. Variation of the molar ratio of sulfuric acid, χH2SO4, was used to tune acidity. The liquid structure was studied using 1H NMR and IR spectroscopies, revealing...

The synthesis and characterisation of new hydrogen-bond-rich ionic liquids and studies of their catalytic performance in Diels–Alder reactions are described. D-Glucose and chloroalcohols were used as the raw materials and as the sources of hydroxyl groups for the synthesis of ionic-liquid cations, whereas weakly coordinating bis(trifluoromethylsulf...

A new method for the rapid synthesis of lactones via the one-pot oxidation of alcohols with potassium peroxymonosulphate in an ionic liquid was developed. The use of microwave or ultrasonic irradiation increased the reaction rates significantly. Additionally, new peroxymonosulphate ionic liquids were synthesised and used as effective oxidants in th...

Four ionic liqs. were used as entrainers in sepn. of Me2CHOH and H2O (an azeotropic mixt.) by extn. distn. under atm. pressure or 300 mbar. Effect of structure, amt. and recycle of the ionic liqs. on the process course was studied. Some H2O-contg. spent solvents from industry were also successively dehydrated, optionally in presence of moL sieves....