Plasma Electrochemistry with Ionic Liquids

This chapter discusses and summarizes theoretical and practical aspects of the plasma interfaces, and presents examples on plasma electrochemical reactions between typical ionic liquids and plasmas. It addresses the plasma state and essential properties with respect to its application in electrochemistry. The chapter comprises a summary of recent attempts to deposit metals from ionic liquids by plasma cathodic reduction. Considering the different general reaction schemes for processes at plasma-ionic liquid interfaces, the plasma-cathodic reduction of compounds dissolved in an ionic liquid is the most obvious application. Plasma-cathodic reduction may be used as a novel method for the generation of metal or semiconductor particles, if degradation reactions of the ionic liquid can be suppressed sufficiently. The chapter analyzes the plasma electrochemical approach with respect to possible applications. From the physicochemical point of view, plasma electrochemical deposition is a highly interesting interfacial phenomenon, linking plasma chemistry and electrochemistry and utilizing nucleation under conditions far from equilibrium.