Dialkylimidazolium ionic liquids as electrolytes for hydrogen production from water electrolysis

Imidazolium ionic liquids (ILs) Such as BMI (.) BF4 and BMI (.) PF6 were studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV). BMI (.) BF4 was used as an electrolyte for hydrogen production through water electrolysis. The system using this ionic liquid in a conventional electrochemical cell with platinum electrodes at room temperature and atmospheric pressure gives current densities (j) higher than 20 mA cm(-2) and efficiencies of more than 94.5%. The catalytic activity of the electrode surface was not affected during the electrolyses mainly due to the chemical stability of the IL. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V.. All rights reserved.