Rifampicin solubility was measured in various solvents (1-ethyl 3-methyl imidazolium methylphosphonate, water and phosphate buffer), showing the RTIL good solvency for the model drug: rifampicin solubility was found to be higher than 90 mg/g in RTIL at 30 掳C and lower than 1 mg/g in water at 25 掳C. Additionally, it was demonstrated that introduction of rifampicin solution in 1-ethyl 3- methyl imidazolium methyl-phosphonate into the aqueous solution antisolvent can produce particles in the submicron range with or without hydroxypropyl methylcellulose as the stabilizer. The ultrafine particles (280-360 nm) are amorphous with enhanced solubility and faster dissolution rate. To our knowledge, this is the first published work examining the suitability of using RTILs for ultrafine drug nanoparticles preparation by an antisolvent precipitation process.