Task-Specific Ionic Liquid Enables Highly Efficient Low Temperature Desalination by Directional Solvent Extraction

Seawater desalination plays a critical role in addressing the global water shortage challenge, and directional solvent extraction (DSE) is an emerging desalination technology to address this challenge. Herein, we demonstrate that through a combination of target-directed synthesis and computational simulations, task-specific ionic liquids (ILs) may significantly advance current DSE technology by improving the energy efficiency toward impacting the global water-energy nexus.