Electrodeposition of Platinum Catalyst from Ionic Liquids

Abstract

The deposition of platinum from precursors dissolved in the ionic liquid 1-methyl-1-octylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide (OMP-TFSI) was the main scope of this study. Boron doped diamond (BDD) and Au electrodes on quartz resonators were used as the substrates. A typical Pt deposition on BDD and Au was accomplished by applying short electrical pulses followed by relaxation phases for different duration in order to find optimal deposition conditions. In order to prove whether Pt was deposited on the electrode, samples were cycled in 0.1 M H2SO4 after deposition. In addition to electrochemical parameters, in the experiments on Au, the electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance permitted to monitor directly changes in the resonance frequency and damping associated with the Pt ion reduction processes.