The electrochemical, physical, and transport properties
of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium
dicyanamide [emim][dca] containing varying levels of Zn2+ and H2O have been investigated to evaluate the suitability
of dicyanamide (dca–) ionic liquids (ILs) for applications
in secondary zinc–air batteries. Electrochemical experiments
indicate that [emim][dca] containing Zn(dca)2 can support
high current density Zn0/Zn2+ deposition and
stripping, at Zn(dca)2 concentrations up to 40 mol % and
H2O concentrations of 10 wt %. Physical property experiments
show that good conductivities can be obtained in these IL/Zn2+ systems. The [emim][dca] containing 30 mol % Zn(dca)2 electrolyte displayed higher conductivities (15 mS·cm–1 at 25 °C) than the same IL containing 30 mol % ZnCl2 (12 mS·cm–1 at 25 °C). A significant
difference in the solvation environments of the Zn2+ in
the two IL/zinc salt mixtures has been suggested to be the cause of
the significant improvement in physical and electrochemical properties
of [emim][dca] containing Zn(dca)2 over the more extensively
studied ZnCl2.
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