Electrocapillary Curves for the Hg/Ionic Liquid Interface

Abstract

Abstract Electrocapillary curves (surface tension γ as a function of the electrode potential E) for a series of room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) were measured using a mercury dropping electrode with the drop-weight (drop-volume) technique. The curves γ = f (E) for the Hg/RTIL interface have one maximum and may be approximated with a polynomial of sixth-order. There are no ‘humps’ in the curves. The interfacial tension of the Hg/RTIL system changes with potential E in a monotonic way. The second derivative of γ = f (E) leads to a polynomial of fourth order, indicating the capacitance of the Hg/RTIL interface. The potential of zero charge is within a relatively narrow range. The specific capacitance at the minimum is of the order 10 μF/cm 2