Hi dear colleagues; can we deposit a metal on another metal by electrolysis, ie one metal as anode and the other as cathode (ex: Al and Cu)? which technic to use? Cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperommetry...?..
The use of an appropriate electrolyte (containing Mn+ for M deposition) is needed to close the circuit (ionic conduction in solution and the reduction at cathode). Consider also that the electrolyte concentration must be high enough and stirring is also needed (to compensate for the Mn+ concentration depletion near the cathode).
thank you Pr Cornel Radu for your answer. But I would like to make a deposit without using salts ( Mn+ ) , by putting one of the electrode as a working electrode and the other as an auxiliary electrode.
Mahmoud, I agree with Cornel. How would material you transfer material between the electrodes without dissolved ions in the "suitable electrolyte" and how would you reduce species onto the cathode if you do not have positively charged species in the system? You could potentially get away from "salts " by creating soluble complexes of the ions, but based on fundamentals I cannot see a way around having ions in solutions to transport the material.
The question for me is what salt are you trying to avoid and why? There might be alternatives that could be acceptable, but still be able to fulfill the fundamental requirements of an electrochemical cell.
Ok Brenda, which salt can I use to deposit Al on Cu and vice versa.? the complexes usually used.?
Electrodeposition of aluminum is challenging because aqueous electrolytes are not an option. You have to look to electrolytes such as AlCl3 in ionic liquids such as [EMIM][AlCl4]. I believe some people have looked at doing the deposition in deep eutectic solvents containing AlCl3. This will likely have to be performed in an inert environment to prevent decomposition of the electrolyte (especially AlCl3). There are publications in this area. It has been a while since I looked into it, but it is something people have researched.
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