Research in the Mudring group is driven by understanding fundamental structure-property relationships with the aim to design new materials for energy related applications for a sustainable society. In this effort, on the one hand, ionic liquids are investigated as a transformative tool in the synthesis and development of improved materials for energy related applications. On the other hand, complex intermetallics are studied, specifically how the relativistic effect present in heavier metals can be used to uncover new compounds with unusual properties. Both classes of materials, ionic liquids and complex intermetallics, have in common that they are highly modular which offers a unique opportunity to discover the unimagined.