Abstract

Here we report the synthesis of pyrrolidinium meta-nitrophenolate; a novel ultraviolet and visible light absorbing protic ionic liquid prepared using an environmentally friendly process via the proton transfer reaction. Characterization shows nearly complete ionization at a ΔpKa separation of 3.31, which is much lower than that of conventional protic ionic liquids. We report that pyrrolidinium meta-nitrophenolate has a room temperature electrochemical window in excess of 10 V. The combined optical and electrochemical properties of pyrrolidinium metanitrophenolate suggest it could be used as an electrolyte additive in photovoltaic devices to improve device stability.