Electroplating with non-aqueous solutions

In July 2008, a whole issue of Transactions was devoted to a series of papers on some excellent research work carried out producing electrodeposits from a variety of non-aqueous solvents, called ionic liquids,(1-5) and the opportunities and challenges for industry in commercialising such processes.(6) The research papers included descriptions of deposition of aluminium, an important industrial metal not possible to deposit from aqueous electrolytes.(1,4,5) What was surprising in these papers was that there was no reference to processes that had been commercially available as long ago as 1987.