Abstract
Developing functional materials via electroless deposition, without the need of external energy is a fascinating concept. Electroless deposition can be subcategorized into galvanic displacement reaction, disproportionation reaction, and deposition in presence of reducing agents. Galvanic displacement reaction is a spontaneous reduction process wherein the redox potentials of the metal/metal ion in the electrolyte govern the thermodynamic feasibility of the process. In aqueous solutions, the galvanic displacement reaction takes place according to the redox potentials of the standard electrochemical series. In comparison, in the case of ionic liquids, galvanic displacement reaction can be triggered by forming metal ion complexes with the anions of the ionic liquids. Therefore, the redox potentials in ILs can be different to those of metal complexes in aqueous solutions. In this review, we highlight the progress in the electroless deposition of metals and semiconductors nanostructures, from ionic liquids and their application toward lithium/sodium batteries, and in catalysis.
Highlights
A simple route for developing various metal and semiconductor nanostructures is one of the major challenges in materials research, which has a significant impact in the fields of energy storage and conversion, catalysis, sensors, photonics and optoelectronics, and biology
Electroless deposition from ionic liquids has been identified as a promising route for developing various metal and semiconductor nanostructures, some of which have shown to be useful in catalysis and as electrodes for batteries
The electroless deposition of noble metals from ionic liquids does not stop after a few monolayers and leads to deposits with thicknesses between 100 nm and 10 μm
Summary
A simple route for developing various metal and semiconductor nanostructures is one of the major challenges in materials research, which has a significant impact in the fields of energy storage and conversion, catalysis, sensors, photonics and optoelectronics, and biology. Electroless deposition can be subdivided into three categories: (1) Galvanic Displacement reaction: Figure 1A shows a schematic diagram of this process In this process, when exposing a less noble metal containing solution (S) to a more noble metal (M), a spontaneous electrochemical reaction (redox reaction) takes place wherein the more noble metal is reduced by the Electrons generated from the less noble metal, as shown in Equations (1, 2). This technique is used to develop various nanostructures which can be used for different applications in batteries and catalysis.
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