Issue 4, 2014

High current density electrodeposition of silver from silver-containing liquid metal salts with pyridine-N-oxide ligands

Abstract

New cationic silver-containing ionic liquids were synthesized and used as non-aqueous electrolytes for the electrodeposition of silver layers. In the liquid state of these ionic liquids, a silver (I) cation is coordinated by pyridine-N-oxide (py-O) ligands in a 1 : 3 metal-to-ligand ratio, although in some cases a different stoichiometry of the silver center crystallized out. As anions, bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (Tf2N), trifluoromethanesulfonate (OTf), methanesulfonate (OMs) and nitrate were used, yielding compounds with the formulae [Ag(py-O)3][Tf2N], [Ag(py-O)3][OTf], [Ag(py-O)3][OMs] and [Ag(py-O)3][NO3], respectively. The compounds were characterized by CHN analysis, FTIR, NMR, DSC, TGA and the electrodeposition of silver was investigated by cyclic voltammetry, linear potential scans, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX). With the exception of [Ag(py-O)3][Tf2N], which melts at 108 °C, all the silver(I) compounds have a melting point below 80 °C and were tested as electrolytes for silver electrodeposition. Interestingly, very high current densities were observed at a potential of −0.5 V vs. Ag/Ag+ for the compounds with fluorine-free anions, i.e. [Ag(py-O)3][NO3] (current density of −10 A dm−2) and [Ag(py-O)3][OMs] (−6.5 A dm−2). The maximum current density of the compound with the fluorinated anion trifluoromethanesulfonate, [Ag(py-O)3][OTf], was much lower: −2.5 A dm−2 at −0.5 V vs. Ag/Ag+. Addition of an excess of ligand to [Ag(py-O)3][OTf] resulted in the formation of the room-temperature ionic liquid [Ag(py-O)6][OTf]. A current density of −5 A dm−2 was observed at −0.5 V vs. Ag/Ag+ for this low viscous silver salt. The crystal structures of several silver complexes could be determined by X-ray diffraction, and it was found that several of them had a stoichiometry different from the 1 : 3 metal-to-ligand ratio used in their synthesis. This indicates that the compounds form crystals with a composition different from that of the molten state. The electrochemical properties were measured in the liquid state, where the metal-to-ligand ratio was 1 : 3. Single crystal X-ray diffraction measurements showed that silver(I) is six coordinate in [Ag(py-O)3][Tf2N] and [Ag(py-O)3][OTf], while it is five coordinate in the other complexes. In [Ag3(py-O)8][OTf]3, there are two different coordination environments for silver ions: six coordinate central silver ions and five coordinate for the outer silver ions. In some of the silver(I) complexes, silver–silver interactions were observed in the solid state.

Graphical abstract: High current density electrodeposition of silver from silver-containing liquid metal salts with pyridine-N-oxide ligands

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
02 Sep 2013
Accepted
21 Oct 2013
First published
24 Oct 2013

Dalton Trans., 2014,43, 1589-1598

High current density electrodeposition of silver from silver-containing liquid metal salts with pyridine-N-oxide ligands

J. Sniekers, N. R. Brooks, S. Schaltin, L. Van Meervelt, J. Fransaer and K. Binnemans, Dalton Trans., 2014, 43, 1589 DOI: 10.1039/C3DT52416G

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements