Since its inception in 2003, ionic liquid (IL)-based aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) has been perceived to give a boost to the application of ATPS in protein separation. Given the green and tunable nature of ILs, the functionality of IL-ATPS can be well designed to suit the specificities required by the bioseparation field. Aside from the conventional imidazolium-based ILs, the types of IL investigated have also expanded to other families of cations (e.g., cholinium, ammonium, phosphonium and guanidinium) and benign anions (e.g., carboxylic acids, amino acids and biological buffers). This review aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of the recent literature targeting the applications of IL-ATPSs in the separation and purification of proteins. Different IL families were addressed in terms of their protein-compatibility, and the applicability of the IL-ATPS formed for the separation of a specific protein of interest. Additionally, the present review highlights the possible directions for future developments.

自2003年问世以来，人们一直认为基于离子液体（IL）的水性两相系统（ATPS）促进了ATPS在蛋白质分离中的应用。考虑到IL的绿色和可调性，可以很好地设计IL-ATPS的功能以适合生物分离领域所需的特异性。除了传统的基于咪唑鎓的离子色谱外，研究的离子色谱的类型还扩展到其他阳离子家族（例如，胆碱，铵，phospho和胍盐）和良性阴离子（例如，羧酸，氨基酸和生物缓冲剂）。这篇综述旨在提供针对IL-ATPS在蛋白质分离和纯化中的应用的最新文献的全面评估。针对不同的IL家族，其蛋白质相容性得到了解决，以及形成的IL-ATPS在分离特定目标蛋白中的适用性。此外，本综述重点介绍了未来发展的可能方向。