Development of an AlCl3-Urea Ionic Liquid for the Electroless Deposition of Aluminum on Carbon Nanotubes

Mohammed Elsharkawi; Amal M K Esawi

doi:10.1021/acsomega.9b03805

Development of an AlCl₃-Urea Ionic Liquid for the Electroless Deposition of Aluminum on Carbon Nanotubes

ACS Omega. 2020 Mar 10;5(11):5756-5761. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.9b03805. eCollection 2020 Mar 24.

Authors

Mohammed Elsharkawi¹, Amal M K Esawi¹

Affiliation

¹ Mechanical Engineering Department, The American University in Cairo, AUC Avenue, P.O. Box 74, New Cairo 11835, Egypt.

Abstract

Unlike the easy electroless deposition of other metals, the deposition of aluminum can be challenging. This is because the standard reduction potential of aluminum lies outside the electrochemical window (EW) of water. Ionic liquids such as AlCl₃-1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (EMIC) have been used because of their wide EW. Here, we introduce a novel ionic liquid for electroless deposition of aluminum by reacting AlCl₃ and urea, with lithium aluminum hydride (LAH) as a reducing agent. Additionally, we report the first successful effort in coating carbon nanotubes (CNTs), as an example of nanostructures with high surface area to volume ratio, with aluminum using electroless deposition. The produced aluminum coating was found to be nanostructured, uniformly covering the CNTs and in close contact with their surfaces.