Abstract
The electrochemical reduction of oxygen was investigated in some hydrophobic room-temperature molten salt systems (ionic liquids) consisting of bis(trifluoromethanesulfone)imide (TFSI-) anion with trimethyl-n-hexylammonium (TMHA+), 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium (BMP+), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium (EMI+) or 1,2-dimethyl-3-propylimidazolium (DMPI+) cation. The oxygen dissolved in these melts was reduced to the superoxide ion on a gold electrode. The superoxide ion was stable against the aliphatic and alicyclic organic cations (TMHA+ and BMP+) but reacted with the aromatic ones (EMI+ and DMPI+), suggesting that nucleophilic reagents attack the melts consisting of imidazolium cations. The acceptor number of these TFSI--based molten salt systems was estimated to be comparable to those of acetonitrile and dimethyl sulfoxide from the comparison of the redox potential of O2/O2-. The superoxide ion was further reduced, presumably to the peroxide, on a gold electrode in the melts consisting of the aliphatic or alicyclic organic cation.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | A59-A63 |
| Journal | Journal of the Electrochemical Society |
| Volume | 151 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2004 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
- Surfaces, Coatings and Films
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Chemistry
