Progress on Electrodeposition of Metals and Alloys Using Ionic Liquids as Electrolytes

Abstract

The electrodeposition process of metals and their alloys is widely used in the automotive, space, electronics, computing, jewelry, and other consumer items industries. Over the years, the search for new coatings with more suitable characteristics for their application led to the use of ionic liquids (ILs) as electrolytic solutions. In addition to having good conductive properties, the growing interest in these solvents has environmental appeal due to their low toxicity. Furthermore, the ability of these electrolytes to dissolve compounds containing less soluble metals makes them potential substitutes for environmentally harmful solvents. In this sense, this review describes the current state and the innovations concerning the electrodeposition of metals and alloys using ILs as electrolytes in the last five years. Metals were classified into five groups (common, light, noble, rare earth, and others), highlighting not only the ability to form a smooth, homogeneous, and anti-corrosive deposit, but also the reactive capacity of metals in hydrogen evolution and catalytic processes.

Progress in the applications of biocompatible ionic liquids: renewable commodity production, catalytic and pharmaceutical approaches – a review

“…Recent reviews have detailed applications of ILs in drug delivery, 17 biomedical fields, 18 compound recovery, 19 gas absorption, 20 nanoparticle synthesis and modification, 21 photonic materials, 22 lubricants, 23 metal deposition, 24 fuel cells, 25 and protein purification. 26 Fig.…”

Ionometallurgy: an academic exercise or promising approach?

“…Uncharged additives, such as acetone or thiourea were shown to decrease the deposition potential by the formation of cationic cobalt complex species. 84,101,102 Although readily soluble cobalt compounds, e.g., CoCl 2 , are usually used as starting materials for electrodeposition, one study employed CoO. The cobalt oxide was dissolved in a mixture of 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(tri-uoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([BMPyrr][NTf 2 ]) and [BMPyrr]Cl with the help of perchloroethane (C 2 Cl 6 ).…”

“…83 Research on the electrodeposition in ILs focuses on the generation of metal coatings with specific morphologies and properties. Since they can be influenced by different anions, the selection of metal salts as starting materials followed the dictates of coating optimization, 84 disregarding the typically high energy and resource demands in the synthesis of these chemicals ( vide infra ).…”

“…Since the first report about electrodeposition of aluminum from acidic [BPy]Cl/AlCl 3 , 84,94–96 the procedure attracted considerable interest due to the industrial relevance of aluminum coatings. Chloridoaluminate ILs appear to be especially well-suited for this purpose because of their high aluminum concentrations and good conductivities.…”

Design Strategy and Application of Deep Eutectic Solvents for Green Synthesis of Nanomaterials

“…The electrodeposition and electrochemical behavior of alloys in DESs have been extensively addressed, such as Fe-Cr [ 155 , 156 ], Cu-Au [ 157 ], Ni-Mo [ 158 ], Au-Pt [ 159 ], Ni-Co [ 160 ], Cu-Sn [ 164 ], Zn-Sn [ 165 ], Pd-Co [ 161 ], and Co-Pt [ 162 ]. The electrodeposition of more than one metal often forms different structures and properties [ 166 , 167 ]. The electrochemical behavior and process are similar to pure metal deposition.…”