ИСТИНА

Lanthanides (Ln) are important raw materials for the modern hi-tech industry. Electrochemical deposition of Ln can provide a real alternative to currently used high-temperature processes of molten salt electrolysis. Electrodeposition of Ln from aqueous solutions is inapplicable owing to pronounced reactivity of Ln in aqueous media. In this regard, ionic liquids (ILs) offer a reasonable alternative due to high electric conductivity, wide electrochemical window, nonvolatility, nonflammability, and tailorability. Here we study the process of Ln (Gd, Nd, Sm, Eu) electrodeposition from 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium dicyanamide IL, [BMP][DCA], containing controlled amounts of water.