Supported ionic liquid phase catalysis is a thriving area of research with many applications. Currently, investigations in this area have focussed on the applications of these systems and there are relatively few reports on the understanding of the interactions of the ionic liquid with the porous support. The aim of this research is observe and analyse these interactions for a number of model systems. The supported ionic liquid phases (SILPs) discussed herein are made up of an ionic liquid physisorbed onto a mesoporous silica host. The ionic liquids used were chosen because of their ease of handling and similarity in structure. Mesoporous silicas were chosen due to their tunable properties. The potential applications of the systems described here in range from catalysis to gas processing and storage. As the focus of this research is characterisation of the interactions between the ionic liquid and the porous silica support, storage of CO2 gas is the . only application explored herein. NMR spectroscopy has been extensively used in this research. Not only has it been a versatile tool for elucidation of structures, it has also allowed the measurement of changes in the dynamics of the ionic liquid upon encapsulation. Combination of high resolution and solid state NMR spectroscopy has also been used to identify the presence of gases in clathrate hydrates. A semi-clathrate hydrate was loaded with methane gas. Solid state NMR experiments were then used to indentify methane molecules present in the cages of the clathrate and quantify the percentage uptake with respect to the semi-clathrate hydrate host.