Electrodeposition Behavior of Dysprosium in EMIMBF4 Ionic Liquid

The electrodeposition of dysprosium on a Pt electrode from 1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMIMBF4) ionic liquid was investigated. The cyclic voltammetry, chronopotentiometry and chronoamperometry were employed to examine the electrochemistry of Dy3+ in 0.01 mol/L DyCl3-0.1 mol/L LiCl-EMIMBF4 ionic liquid. The electrochemistry experiments indicate that the reduction of Dy3+ ion in 0.01 mol/L DyCl3-0.1 mol/L LiCl-EMIMBF4 ionic liquid is an irreversible process and is completed through only one step electrodeposition mechanism Dy3+ + 3e(-) -> Dy. In 0.01 mol/L DyCl3-0.1 mol/L LiCl-EMIMBF4 ionic liquid the transfer coefficient and the diffusion coefficient of Dy3+ ion have been determined to be 0.176 and (4.87-5.04) x 10(-10) cm(2)/s, respectively. XRD pattern shows that the dysprosium deposits can be obtained, and SEM images shows that crystallites sizes of the deposits are few hundred nanometers.