Electrochemical Properties of GaCl3 in Ionic Liquid [C2mim][GaCl4]
Under dry argon atmosphere, the colourless and transparent ionic liquid [C2mim][GaCl4] was synthesized. Using [C2mim][GaCl4] as solvent, a solution of GaCl3with molarity 5.227×10-3 mol/cm3 was prepared at 303.15 K and there is a equilibrum between the solute and the solvent: GaCl3+ [C2mim][GaCl4] → [C2mim][Ga2Cl7]. The cyclic voltammogram of the solution had been carried out relative to Al/Al3+reference electrode, with GC working electrode and Ga counter electrode, with various scan rates from 30 to 700mV/s, in a temperature range of 303.15 to 343.15 K, respectively. The results indicated that (1) there were two processes: Ga(Ⅲ)→Ga(I)→Ga(0), which corresponded to the double reduction peaks in the cyclic voltammogram; (2) the first reduction process was a diffusion controlled and quasi-reversible process. Plotting current density of the peak vs the square root of scan rate, a series of straight lines were obtained, then the diffusion coefficients were obtained according to Randles-Sevcik equation in various temperature. The values of diffusion coefficient were fitted to Arrhenius equation with least-square method and value of diffusion activation energy, ED = 41.5 kJ/mol, was obtained from Arrhenius slope.