Electrodeposition of gold nanoparticles at a solid|ionic liquid|aqueous electrolyte three-phase junction

Gold nanoparticles have been electrodeposited on an electrode through electrogeneration at an ITO|AuCl₄^? solution in an ionic liquid|aqueous electrolyte three-phase junction. The electrodeposition was carried out by inverted double-pulse potential chronoamperometry. The direct reduction of AuCl₄^? ions at the electrode is followed by a counterion transfer through the liquid|liquid interface. Contrary to the electrodeposition from a single ionic liquid phase, scanning electron microscopy reveals that the shape of the resulting nanoparticles is highly angular and well-developed with a diameter of 110 ± 30 nm. Catalytic oxidation of glucose on the modified electrode is demonstrated.     

Electrodeposition of platinum nanoparticles in a room-temperature ionic liquid

The electrochemistry of the [PtCl(6)](2-)-[PtCl(4)](2-)-Pt redox system on a glassy carbon (GC) electrode in a room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) [i.e., N,N-diethyl-N-methyl-N-(2-methoxyethyl)ammonium tetrafluoroborate (DEMEBF(4))] has been examined. The two-step four-electron reduction of [PtCl(6)](2-) to Pt, i.e., reduction of [PtCl(6)](2-) to [PtCl(4)](2-) and further reduction of [PtCl(4)](2-) to Pt, occurs separately in this RTIL in contrast to the one-step four-electron reduction of [PtCl(6)](2-) to Pt in aqueous media. The cathodic and anodic peaks corresponding to the [PtCl(6)](2-)/[PtCl(4)](2-) redox couple were observed at ca. -1.1 and 0.6 V vs a Pt wire quasi-reference electrode, respectively, while those observed at -2.8 and -0.5 V were found to correspond to the [PtCl(4)](2-)/Pt redox couple. The disproportionation reaction of the two-electron reduction product of [PtCl(6)](2-) (i.e., [PtCl(4)](2-)) to [PtCl(6)](2-) and Pt metal was also found to occur significantly. The electrodeposition of Pt nanoparticles could be carried out on a GC electrode in DEMEBF(4) containing [PtCl(6)](2-) by holding the potential at -3.5 or -2.0 V. At -3.5 V, the four-electron reduction of [PtCl(6)](2-) to Pt can take place, while at -2.0 V the two-electron reduction of [PtCl(6)](2-) to [PtCl(4)](2-) occurs. The results obtained demonstrate that the electrodeposition of Pt at -3.5 V may occur via a series of reductions of [PtCl(6)](2-) to [PtCl(4)](2-) and further [PtCl(4)](2-) to Pt and at -2.0 V via a disproportionation reaction of [PtCl(4)](2-) to [PtCl(6)](2-) and Pt. Furthermore, the deposition potential of Pt nanoparticles was found to largely influence their size and morphology as well as the relative ratio of Pt(110) and Pt(100) crystalline orientation domains. The sizes of the Pt nanoparticles prepared by holding the electrode potential at -2.0 and -3.5 V are almost the same, in the range of ca. 1-2 nm. These small nanoparticles are "grown" to form bigger particles with different morphologies: In the case of the deposition at -2.0 V, the GC electrode surface is totally, relatively compactly covered with Pt particles of relatively uniform size of ca. 10-50 nm. On the other hand, in the case of the electrodeposition at -3.5 V, small particles of ca. 50-100 nm and the grown-up particles of ca. 100-200 nm cover the GC surface irregularly and coarsely. Interestingly, the Pt nanoparticles prepared by holding the potential at -2.0 and -3.5 V are relatively enriched in Pt(100) and Pt(110) facets, respectively.     

Electrodeposition of nanocrystalline aluminium from a chloroaluminate ionic liquid

In this letter we show that nanocrystalline aluminium can be electrodeposited in the Lewis acidic ionic liquid based on AlCl₃ (60 mol%) and 1-(2-methoxyethyl)-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([MoeMIm]Cl) (40 mol%). The study comprised cyclic voltammetry, potentiostatic polarization, and SEM and XRD measurements. The methoxy group in the side chain of the imidazolium cation significantly influences the electrodeposition pathway of Al in comparison to [EMIm]Cl/AlCl₃. Cyclic voltammetry shows a significant current loop attributed to nucleation. Shiny Al layers are obtained with an average crystallite size of about 40 nm.     

Electrodeposition of monodispersed Fe nanocrystals from an ionic liquid

Monodispersed Fe nanocrystals up to approximately 2 nm thick, approximately 50 nm wide and approximately 120 nm long have been electrodeposited from the ionic melt AlCl(3)-1-methyl-3-butylimidazolium chloride [AlCl3-[MBIm](+)Cl(-)] at room temperature on Au(111) and have been characterized in-situ by electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy.     

Aqueous-organic phase transfer of gold nanoparticles and gold nanorods using an ionic liquid

The water-immiscible ionic liquid, [C4MIM][PF6], is a solvent medium that allows complete transfer of gold nanoparticles from an aqueous phase into an organic phase. Both spherical and rod-shaped gold nanoparticles are efficiently transferred from an aqueous solution into the organic phase without requiring the use of thiols. The sizes and shapes of the gold nanoparticles were preserved during the phase-transfer process when a surfactant was added to the ionic liquid. This process offers a simple approach for obtaining solutions of differently sized and shaped gold nanoparticles in ionic liquids.     

Fabrication of silica nanoparticles and hollow spheres using ionic liquid microemulsion droplets as templates

Silica products with two different morphologies were synthesized using nonaqueous ionic liquid microemulsion droplets as templates. The morphologies of the obtained products were characterized by both transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). By adjusting the reaction conditions, ellipsoidal nanoparticles were formed under acidic conditions, while hollow silica spheres were obtained under alkaline conditions. It is demonstrated that the size distribution of hollow silica spheres was narrower than that of the ellipsoidal nanoparticles. The various vibration modes of different functional groups in the silica materials were revealed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The two samples were both shown to be amorphous, not crystalline by X-ray diffraction (XRD). A simple diagram of the formation process including the hydrolysis and condensation reactions is given. Furthermore, a probable mechanism for the formation of silica materials under acidic or alkaline conditions is presented, which may be helpful for better understanding the different silica materials obtained under different conditions.     

Synthesis of gold nanoparticles modified with ionic liquid based on the imidazolium cation

The synthesis and processing of nanoparticles consisting of metallic nanocrystal cores and organic monolayer shells promise interesting technological applications. Here, we report the synthesis of gold nanoparticles modified with ionic liquids based on the imidazolium cation. Aggregation-induced color changes of the gold nanoparticles in an aqueous solution were used as an optical sensor for anions via anion exchange of ionic liquid moiety. We also demonstrated the phase transfer of the gold nanoparticles from aqueous media to ionic liquid.     

Facile synthesis of gold nanoparticles capped with an ammonium-based chiral ionic liquid crystal

Herein, we describe a facile synthesis of stable chiral ionic liquid crystal (ILC)-capped gold nanoparticles. A new ILC containing a chiral cholesterol moiety having a terminal triethylammonium group was synthesised which exhibited an enantiotropic lamellar mesophase. Stable, monodisperse citrate-stabilised gold nanoparticles having a size of ~60 nm were prepared and the citrate ligands on the gold nanoparticles were replaced with chiral ILC through a two-phase ligand exchange process. The resulting chiral ILC-stabilised particles were characterised using UV–visible (UV–Vis) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies. Different from the citrate-stabilised nanoparticles, the ligand exchanged gold nanoparticles were dispersible in organic solvent and resulting dispersion was stable for more than observed period of 3 months. Furthermore, the chiral ILC-decorated gold nanoparticles were found to be well dispersible in a nematic host without any aggregation and induced a vertical alignment of the nematic director.     

Synthesis of gold nanoparticles by microemulsion assisted photoreduction method

A new, clean, cost-effective and rapid method for the synthesis of stable spherical gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is developed. This novel technique combines microemulsion as one of soft-nanotechnology techniques of wet chemistry, with photo-physics of UV-radiation in a unique versatile method to design and obtain controlled nanostructures for multifunctional materials. Based on a phase diagram in ternary water/Brij 30/n-heptane system pristine, and thiol functionalized, gold nanoparticles were obtained by a microemulsion assisted photoreduction technique, allowing increased flexibility during the synthesis and selection of materials. The spherical nanoparticles obtained by this route show a homogeneous size distribution, with an average diameter of 11 nm, for pristine gold nanoparticles and of 12 nm, for functionalized species. The evolution of the system at the nanoscale has been studied using, in tandem, UV-VIS and DLS measurements. The structure, size and shape of the final nanoparticles obtained have been evaluated by adequate instrumental techniques: FTIR, XRD and TEM image analysis. Kinetic studies have also been performed in order to follow the evolution of nanospecies during irradiation procedure.     

Electrodeposition of stable and narrowly dispersed germanium nanoclusters from an ionic liquid

Germanium nanoclusters with a narrow height distribution have been electrodeposited from a dilute solution of GeCl4 in the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [BMIm]PF6: under the reported conditions the lateral sizes of most of the clusters range between 20 and 30 nm while their heights vary from 1 to 10 nm with most of them between 1 and 5 nm.     

Femtosecond solvation dynamics in a neat ionic liquid and ionic liquid microemulsion: excitation wavelength dependence

Solvation dynamics in a neat ionic liquid, 1-pentyl-3-methyl-imidazolium tetra-flouroborate ([pmim][BF4]) and its microemulsion in Triton X-100 (TX-100)/benzene is studied using femtosecond up-conversion. In both the neat ionic liquid and the microemulsion, the solvation dynamics is found to depend on excitation wavelength (lambda(ex)). The lambda(ex) dependence is attributed to structural heterogeneity in neat ionic liquid (IL) and in IL microemulsion. In neat IL, the heterogeneity arises from clustering of the pentyl groups which are surrounded by a network of cation and anions. Such a nanostructural organization is predicted in many recent simulations and observed recently in an X-ray diffraction study. In an IL microemulsion, the surfactant (TX-100) molecules aggregate in form of a nonpolar peripheral shell around the polar pool of IL. The micro-environment in such an assembly varies drastically over a short distance. The dynamic solvent shift (and average solvation time) in neat IL as well as in IL microemulsions decreases markedly as lambda(ex) increases from 375 to 435 nm. In a [pmim][BF4]/water/TX-100/benzene quaternary microemulsion, the solvation dynamics is slower than that in a microemulsion without water. This is ascribed to the smaller size of the water containing microemulsion. The anisotropy decay in an IL microemulsion is found to be faster than that in neat IL.     

On the formation of anisotropic gold nanoparticles by sputtering onto a nitrile functionalised ionic liquid

Sputtering deposition of gold onto the 1-(butyronitrile)-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (BCN)MI·N(Tf)(2) ionic liquid (IL) has generated colloidal and stable gold nanospheres (AuNS) and gold nanodisks (AuND) in a bimodal size distribution. Upon increasing the sputtering discharge voltage, three distinct phenomena were observed: (i) the mean diameter of both AuNS and AuND decreased; (ii) the population with lower diameters increased and (iii) the formation of AuND disappeared at voltages higher than 340 V. By dissolving the colloidal gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in isopropanol and dropping the product onto carbon-coated Cu grids, 2D and 3D superlattices tended to be formed, as observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Therefore, the formation of AuND is probably related to a strong interaction between sputtered Au atoms of low kinetic energy and the nitrile groups orientated to the vacuum phase of the IL surface, which drives the preferential anisotropic lateral growth.     

Growth of sputter-deposited gold nanoparticles in ionic liquids

The growth of gold nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized by sputter deposition on an ionic liquid surface is studied in situ in the bulk phase of the ionic liquids (ILs) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide [C(1)C(4)Im][N(CN)(2)], 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide [C(1)C(4)Im][Tf(2)N], 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [C(1)C(4)Im][BF(4)], 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [C(1)C(4)Im][PF(6)] and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium triflate [C(1)C(4)Im][TfO]. It is found that primary nanoparticles with a diameter smaller than 2.5 nm are present in the sample immediately after sputtering. Growth of these primary particles proceeds after the end of the sputtering process and stops when the nanoparticles reach a certain size. Depending on the viscosity of the ionic liquid this growth process can proceed several hours to several days. The growth speed is fastest for the least viscous ionic liquid and follows the trend [C(1)C(4)Im][N(CN)(2)] > [C(1)C(4)Im][Tf(2)N] > [C(1)C(4)Im][TfO] > [C(1)C(4)Im][BF(4)] > [C(1)C(4)Im][PF(6)]. It is also found that a higher concentration of sputtered gold results in faster growth of the gold nanoparticles. A discussion on the growth mechanism of sputtered gold NPs is included.     

Transfer of biosynthesized gold nanoparticles from water into an ionic liquid using alkyltrimethyl ammonium bromide: an anion-exchange process

Biosynthesized gold nanoparticles (GNPs) were transferred from water to a hydrophobic ionic liquid (IL), [Bmim]PF(6), with the assistance of alkyl trimethyl ammonium bromide. The phase transfer mechanism was illustrated through the exemplification of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). Interaction between GNPs and CTAB was demonstrated through zeta potential analysis. Moreover, an anion-exchange process was discovered between CTAB and IL. During the process, the hydrophobic CTAPF(6) formed in situ on the GNPs led to the hydrophobization and thus phase transfer of the GNPs. The phase transfer efficiency was found to be size-dependent.     

Nonenzymatic glucose voltammetric sensor based on gold nanoparticles/carbon nanotubes/ionic liquid nanocomposite

In this paper, a novel nonenzymatic glucose voltammetric sensor based on a kind of nanocomposite of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) embedded in multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/ionic liquid (IL) gel was reported. The surface morphology of this nanocomposite was characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), respectively. It can be found that most of GNPs lie close to the ektexine of MWCNTs and the others have obviously inserted the inner of MWCNTs through the defects or ends of MWCNTs, due to the attraction between GNPs and MWCNTs as well as the repulsion between GNPs and IL. Voltammetry was used to evaluate the electrocatalytic activities of the nanocomposite biosensor toward nonenzymatic glucose oxidation in alkaline media. The GNPs embedded in MWCNTs/IL gel have strong and sensitive voltammetric responses to glucose, owing to a possible synergistic effect among GNPs, MWCNTs and IL. Under the optimal condition, the linear range for the detection of the glucose is 5.0-120 μM with the correlation coefficient of 0.998, based on the oxidation peak observed during cathodic direction of the potential sweep. The kinetics and mechanism of glucose electro-oxidation were intensively investigated in this system. This kind of nanocomposite biosensor is also highly resistant toward poisoning by chloride ions and capable of sensing glucose oxidation in the presence of 20 μM uric acid and 70 μM ascorbic acid. This work provides a simple and easy approach to the detection of glucose in body fluid with high sensitivity and excellent selectivity.     

Stability of sputter-deposited gold nanoparticles in imidazolium ionic liquids

The stability of gold nanoparticles synthesised by sputter deposition has been studied in situ in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium ionic liquids with bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, tetrafluoroborate, hexafluorophosphate and dicyanamide anions with UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Besides the growth of the gold nanoparticles, two other processes were observed after sputtering, namely aggregation and sedimentation of these nanoparticles. To model the absorption spectra of the sputtered gold nanoparticles, generalized multiparticle Mie calculations were performed. These theoretical calculations confirm the increase in absorbance at longer wavelength for larger aggregates and are in agreement with the experimental observations. It was found that the kinetics of aggregation and sedimentation scale with the viscosity of the ionic liquid. Small amounts of water were found to have a large detrimental influence on the stability of the colloidal suspensions of the gold nanoparticles in ionic liquids. From the large discrepancy between the theoretical and the experimentally observed stability of the NPs, it was concluded that structural forces stabilize the gold nanoparticles. This was also borne out by AFM measurements.     

Electrodeposition of Ni-Mg alloys from 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride/glycerin eutectic-based ionic liquid

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - The electrodeposition of Ni-Mg alloys in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride/glycerin (BMIC/GL, 1:1 M ratio) eutectic-based ionic liquid...     

Specific ionic effect for simple and rapid colorimetric sensing assays of amino acids using gold nanoparticles modified with task-specific ionic liquid

In this study, a novel task-specific ionic liquid functionalized gold nanoparticle (TSIL-GNP) was successfully prepared and applied in the recognition of amino acids. Particularly, the surface of GNP was modified with the ionic liquid containing carbamido and ester group via thiol, which was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The stability of this material in aqueous solution improves apparently and can remain unchanged for more than three months. The effect of pH was also discussed in this study. Attractive ionic interaction would effectively weaken intensity of the covalent coupling between the metal ion and the functional groups of amino acids. Thus, TSIL-GNP was successfully applied to recognizing serine, aspartic acid, lysine, arginine, and histidine in the presence of Cu²⁺ through distinctive color changes. Suspension would be generated once a spot of cysteine was added into the GNPs solution. Results indicated that it had a good linear relationship between extinction coefficients and concentration of amino acids in a wide range of 10⁻³–10⁻⁶ M. Moreover, the proposed strategy was successfully used to analyze the histidine in urinary samples. In brief, TSIL-GNP is a suitable substrate for discrimination of five amino acids in a rapid and simple way without sophisticated instruments.     

Electrodeposition and stripping of zinc from an ionic liquid polymer gel electrolyte for rechargeable zinc-based batteries

In this paper, we report on zinc deposition and stripping in an ionic liquid polymer gel electrolyte on gold and copper substrates, respectively. The ionic liquid-based polymer gel electrolyte is prepared by combining the ionic liquid 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium trifluoromethylsulfonate ([Py_1,4]TfO), with Zn(TfO)₂ and poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF-HFP). The ionic liquid polymer gel electrolyte exhibits good conductivity (2.2 mS cm^?1) and good mechanical stability. Zinc deposition and stripping in the ionic liquid polymer gel electrolyte were studied by cyclic voltammetry, potentiostatic, and galvanostatic cycling (charging/discharging) experiments. The gel electrolyte exhibits a promising electrochemical stability and allows a quasi-reversible zinc deposition/stripping. The morphology of the zinc deposits after 10 cycles of zinc deposition/stripping is compact and dense, and deposits without any dendrite formation can be obtained. The quasi-reversibility of the electrochemical deposition/stripping of zinc in this ionic liquid polymer gel electrolyte is of interest for rechargeable zinc-based batteries.