Professor Tom Welton

Summary

Sustainable or Green Chemistry aims to make the chemicals and related industries both environmentally and economically sustainable.

I am interested in using an exciting class of solvents - ionic liquids - to improve chemical processes. I have worked with ionic liquids throughout my research career. Recently, interest from both academic and commercial chemists in these has increased dramatically. I hope that my work has made a significant contribution to this change in attitude. My research covers a broad range of the chemical sciences and I have been the author of papers in all three of the traditional branches of the subject (Inorganic, Organic and Physical). My work includes both fundamental and applied studies.

My applied research is currently focused on clean synthesis and the processing of biomass-derived polymers into materials to replace petrochemical-based plastics. The aim of this research is to understand how different ionic liquids can influence the reaction process. I also aim to use this understanding to provide more effective chemical processes by the matching of the reaction with the optimum reaction environment. We are also interested in how changing the ionic liquid an processing conditions changes the material properties of the product. We conduct much of this research in collaboration with members of the Faculty of Engineering. 

I am also interested in understanding the fundamental properties of ionic liquids. we address questions such as: why do these salts melt at such low temperatures; how do the structures of their ions lead to properties such as low viscosity? how do interactions between ionic liquid ions affect their physical properties.

We link our fundamental and applied research by investigation the effects of ionic liquids on the rates of reactions. Similar kinds of interactions that occur between the ions of the ionic liquids can occur between ionic liquid ions and solute species. We have demonstrated how these interactions can change the rates of reactions in ionic liquids.

Selected Publications

Journal Articles

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