I think that our work is often cited because we have established conceptually a new strategy in the design of functionalized ionic liquids (ILs) and their applications in nanoparticle stabilization and catalysis. That is, using weak coordinating ILs to immobilize the essential catalyst, which in our case are palladium nanoparticles.

Before our work, there were many organic reactions being investigated in "standard" ionic liquids and the active catalyst species remained elusive. Using our weakly-coordinating ionic liquids, we were able to look carefully at the catalytic mechanism and study all the factors that the systems involved.

This is indeed quite an interesting new discovery; in that weak, coordinating ILs can stabilize palladium nanoparticles, in such a way that excellent immobilization of the effective catalyst can be achieved. The discovery provides a new methodology for those wishing to design or to use catalysts superior to those currently in use.

We designed an IL that acts as solvent and stabilizer for nanoparticles. The liquid increases the stability of the catalyst, prevents leaching of the catalyst, and therefore improves its lifespan significantly. Since the liquid does not evaporate, the process can be considered as very green.

IL chemistry, nanoparticle catalyst reservoirs, and CC coupling reactions are not new. Prior to this research, we knew that an ideal catalytic system should enable efficient catalyst immobilization with high activity. We realized the novel properties of functionalized ILs and introduced weakly coordinating CN groups.

In this paper, we demonstrated, experimentally, the advantages of using weakly coordinating ILs to replace traditional ILs with more effective catalyst immobilization and stabilization. ILs and nanoscience are two popular areas that are attracting considerable attention. However, there are only a very few reports that could actually have potential applications within the industry in the near future.

Our concept could be used in the industry as a means for developing more efficient catalytic systems and, in an effort to reduce problems associated with solvent loss, e.g., climate change, ozone depletion, and health problems. Currently, we—along with our partner, a leading chemical company—are exploring the possibilities of using our functionalized ILs as alternative solvents in a number of industrial processes.