Electrochemical and Spectroscopic Studies of Zinc Acetate in 1‐Ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium Acetate for Zinc Electrodeposition

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, we report on the electrodeposition of zinc from the ionic liquid 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium acetate ([EMIm]OAc) with various concentrations of zinc acetate [Zn(OAc) 2 ] at 100 °C. The electrochemical behavior of zinc complexes in [EMIm]OAc was determined by cyclic voltammetry. Raman and infrared spectroscopy were employed to study the coordination of Zn 2+ ions with OAc − , and it was found that upon increasing the Zn(OAc) 2 concentration the intensity of the band for the free acetate anion weakened, due to binding with Zn 2+ ions. A minimum concentration of 4 m Zn(OAc) 2 was required to observe bulk zinc deposition, and in that case, the reducible species present in the solution were probably a mixture of Zn(OAc) 2 and Zn(OAc) + . Furthermore, the scanning electron microscopy results revealed microcrystals of zinc composed of many nanostructures distributed on the substrate, and X‐ray diffraction analysis indicated that a Zn–Au alloy along with Zn films was obtained.