Review Carbon nanomaterial–ionic liquid hybrids Meltem Tunckol, Je ´ro ˆme Durand, Philippe Serp * Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, UPR CNRS 8241, Composante ENSIACET, Universite ´ de Toulouse, UPS-INP-LCC, 4 Alle ´e Emile Monso, BP 44362, 31030 Toulouse Cedex 4, France ARTICLE INFO Article history: Received 1 February 2012 Accepted 10 May 2012 Available online xxxx ABSTRACT Carbon nanomaterial–ionic liquid hybrids represent a very interesting class of materials because of their exceptional properties and potential use in a wide range of application fields. Their unique properties, arising from the synergistic combination of both compo- nents, can be exploited as elements of electrochemical and energy storage devices, as sup- ports for catalysis and as nanofillers for polymeric composites. Owing to the specific interactions between ionic liquids (ILs) and carbon nanomaterials, the surface properties of the nanomaterials can be modified, leading to their improved dispersion in various media, thus providing an alternative solution to the most fundamental problem in process- ing of these materials. Since the discovery of bucky gel, the synthesis and processing meth- ods of carbon nanotube–ionic liquid (CNT–IL) hybrids have been extensively studied. This review is aimed at giving an overview of the main synthetic routes and potential applica- tions of CNT–IL hybrids. Graphene has lately emerged as a promising material, and received world-wide attention due to its exceptional properties. The synthesis of graph- ene-IL hybrids and the role of IL in the exfoliation process of graphene sheets are also dis- cussed along with the potential applications of these new materials. Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents 1. Introduction .................................................................................... 00 2. CNT–IL hybrids .................................................................................. 00 2.1. Preparation and characterization .............................................................. 00 2.1.1. CNT–IL hybrid formation by physical methods ............................................. 00 2.1.2. CNT–IL hybrid formation by chemical methods ............................................. 00 2.2. Applications............................................................................... 00 2.2.1. Electrochemical devices ............................................................... 00 2.2.2. Support for metal nanoparticles ......................................................... 00 2.2.3. Antiwear and lubricant additives ........................................................ 00 2.2.4. CNT–IL/Polymer composites ............................................................ 00 3. Graphene-IL hybrids.............................................................................. 00 3.1. Preparation and characterization .............................................................. 00 3.2. Potential applications of graphene-IL hybrids .................................................... 00 0008-6223/$ - see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.carbon.2012.05.017 * Corresponding author: Fax: +33 05 34 32 35 96. E-mail address: philippe.serp@ensiacet.fr (P. Serp). CARBON 50 (4) 4303 – 4334 Available at www.sciencedirect.com journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/carbon