Single step electrodeposition process using ionic liquid to grow highly luminescent silicon/rare earth (Er, Tb) thin films with tunable composition

Electrodeposition of lanthanides from ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents

Lanthanides belong to the most important raw materials and are highly demanded in high-tech industry. Low-temperature electrochemical deposition of lanthanides and lanthanide-based alloys for recycling and obtaining functional materials can provide a real alternative to the currently used high-temperature electrolysis of molten salts. The review summarizes the advancements in the field of electrodeposition of lanthanides from organic ionic systems, such as ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents. The growing interest in these ionic systems is due to their excellent physicochemical properties, in particular non-volatility, thermal and electrochemical stability. The review also discusses further prospects and potential of the electrochemical approach for obtaining lanthanide-containing advanced materials.

The bibliography includes 219 references.

Growth of Homogeneous Luminescent Silicon-Terbium Nanowires by One-Step Electrodeposition in Ionic Liquids

An electrodeposition method for the growth of homogeneous silicon-terbium nanowires (NWs) with green light emission is described. The method involves template-assisted electrochemical co-deposition of Si/Tb NWs with 90-nm diameter from an electrolyte bath containing Si and Tb precursors in an ionic liquid (IL). This method of deposition is advantageous over other conventional techniques as it is relatively simple and cost-effective and avoids harsh deposition conditions. The deposited NWs are of uniform dimensions with homogeneous composition incorporating 10% of Tb and exhibit intense room temperature (RT) luminescence in the visible range due to Tb emission. These results were confirmed by combining classical characterization such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and photoluminescence (PL) performed on an assembly of NWs with spatially resolved experiments such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and cathodoluminescence (CL). This electrodeposition method provides an alternative and extremely simple approach for depositing silicon-rare earth nanostructures for optical and sensing applications.

Cadmium tris(dithiocarbamate) ionic liquids as single source, solvent-free cadmium sulfide precursors

The first cadmium-based ionic liquids (ILs) have been developed, along with a family of cadmium dialkyldithiocarbamate salts, (cation)[Cd(R₂dtc)₃], in the pursuit of single source molecular precursors that thermolyse to form cadmium sulfide.