Dicyanamide anion based ionic liquids for electrodeposition of metals

Electrodeposition of Al, Mn, Ni, Zn, Sn, and Cu are successfully demonstrnated in the ionic liquids (ILs) composed of 1-methyl-3-alkylimidazolium or N-methyl-N  -alkylpyrrolidinium cations with dicyanamide (DCA) anions. The DCA-based room-temperature ILs exhibit lower viscosities than those ILs based on BF4-, PF6-, and bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (TFSI) anions. While most of the metal chlorides are insoluble in the BF4-, PF6-, and TFSI-based ILs, they exhibit good solubility in DCA-based ILs due to the strong complexing ability of DCA toward the transition metal ions. It is possible to alter the regular reduction sequence for particular metal ions in the DCA-based ILs.