With support from the Chemical Structure and Dynamics (CSD) program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Terefe Habteyes at the University of New Mexico is investigating how gases interact with the surfaces of ionic liquid droplets (ILDs) at the nanoscale. Ionic liquids are special types of salts that are liquid at room temperature and have attracted attention for their ability to capture gases without evaporating. However, understanding how gas molecules behave at the surface of ILDs is particularly challenging due to the complex and varied nature of their interfaces at the nanoscale. Professor Habteyes and his students will tackle this challenge by using near-field optical methods to resolve chemical heterogeneity across individual droplets and understand how the interaction of gas molecules with ILDs can be manipulated and optimized. Their discoveries could provide a fundamental understanding of how ionic liquids adsorb gases, which is key to designing more efficient materials for gas separation and catalysis. In addition to advancing science, the project offers hands-on research opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students, helping to build a skilled scientific workforce through collaborations with the Air Force Research Laboratory and access to advanced nanotechnology facilities. This project aims to investigate the molecular-scale mechanisms of gas adsorption on ILDs supported on solid substrates, with a particular focus on understanding interfacial heter