Water Interplays during Dysprosium Electrodeposition in Pyrrolidinium Ionic Liquid: Deconvoluting the Pros and Cons for Rare Earth Metallization

The electrochemical production of rare earth metals (REMs) in ionic liquids (ILs) has received much attention as a promising, sustainable replacement to molten salt electrolysis. Water additives have been suggested as a promoting strategy for the ionic liquid process; however, the fundamental unders...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ACS sustainable chemistry & engineering 2021-11, Vol.9 (43), p.14631-14643
Main Authors: Orme, Kennalee, Baek, Donna L, Fox, Robert V, Atifi, Abderrahman
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
deposition metrics
dysprosium
electrodeposition
INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
interfacial processes
ionic liquid
MATERIALS SCIENCE
metal stability and purity
reduction mechanism
speciation heterogeneity
water additive
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Summary:The electrochemical production of rare earth metals (REMs) in ionic liquids (ILs) has received much attention as a promising, sustainable replacement to molten salt electrolysis. Water additives have been suggested as a promoting strategy for the ionic liquid process; however, the fundamental understanding of the interfacial processes required to assess the overall viability for REM production is lacking. In this regard, a full investigation of the impact of water on dysprosium (Dy) electrodeposition in pyrrolidinium triflate (BMPyOTf) ionic liquid was carried out. Water introduction was revealed to involve an interplay of implications on the electrodeposition process, including coordination, speciation, reduction pathways, interfacial dynamics, nucleation, and metal stability and purity. Under highly dry conditions, the reduction occurs at a very negative potential (−3.3 V) in a consecutive pathway, resulting in negligible metal electrodeposition (low rate and efficiency) at the electrode surface. Small water concentrations (
ISSN:2168-0485
2168-0485
DOI:10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c06189