Controlled transportation of air- and electrochemically stable materials is of interest in many areas of science. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of an ionic liquid monomer and its corresponding polyelectrolyte. The translational movement of these ionic liquid droplets across a substrate using the mechanism of electrowetting on a dielectric (EWOD) is demonstrated with emphasis given to electrode design and selective switching in the device construction. Directional control of a 2 mm sized polyelectrolyte droplet is shown to laterally move across the substrate surface on the order of 10s of minutes due to its increased viscosity, whereas its ionic liquid monomer also transverses but at a much faster pace-on the order of 10s of seconds. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 110: 3865-3870, 2008