Stimuli‐Responsive Ionic Liquids and the Regulation of Aggregation Structure and Phase Behavior

Ionic liquids with stimuli‐responsive characteristics are an essential branch in the comprehensive ionic liquids' family, which can meet the controllable and reversible needs in practical applications with different stimulation means. In this review, we summarize the recent research progress of these stimuli‐responsive ionic liquids, mainly focusing on their chemical structures, properties, responsive mechanism, aggregation structures, and phase behaviors, which were driven by external stimuli, such as CO2, magnetism, light, temperature, redox, and pH. Then, the particular or potential applications of stimuli‐responsive ionic liquids are expounded in various fields of science, including catalytic reaction, extraction, separation, nanomaterial preparation, and gas absorption. In the end, the challenges and strategies of the subject are briefly presented. It is expected that this review will contribute to the rational design and applications of stimuli‐responsive ionic liquids in the future. External stimuli can change the structure of stimuli‐responsive ILs, and affect their properties such as hydrophilicity and polarity, further regulating the aggregation structure or phase behavior of stimuli‐responsive ILs in related systems, which can be used in catalysis, extraction, separation, nanomaterial, gas absorption and other fields.