The oxidation of ferrocene (Fc/Fc + ) and reduction of cobaltocenium (Cc + /Cc) under different temperatures has been studied by cyclic voltammetry and double potential step chronoamperometry in deep eutectic solvents (DESs) consisting of methyltriphenylphosphonium bromide salt with tri-ethylene glycol, glycerol or ethylene glycol as hydrogen bond donors. The temperature dependence of the measured physical properties of DESs (such as viscosity and conductivity) is discussed in detail. The kinetics of the redox couples are studied using cyclic voltammetry, and the standard heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant, k 0 is found to be of the order of 10 −5 to 10 −4 cms −1 at different temperatures. The diffusion coefficient, D, of Fc and Cc + is determined to lie between 8.28 × 10 −10 to 6.65 × 10 −9 cm 2 s −1 . These results show that both k 0 and D increase with temperature in the studied DESs. In addition, better kinetic parameters for the DES with ethylene glycol as hydrogen bond donor means that this could be evaluated favorably as both solvents and electrolytes for redox flow cells. In recent years, to overcome the toxicity and high price of ionic liquids (ILs), deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have been investigated as potential alternatives.1-3 DESs share many characteristics of conventional ILs (e.g., they have intrinsic ionic conductivity, low-volatility, biodegradability, high thermal and chemical stability, good electrochemical stability as well as non-flammability). In addition, they are simple to synthesize on a large scale.4-6 These properties have been explored for applications such as solvents for electrodeposition and electropolishing, 7-9 electrochemistry, 10 separation processes, 11 chemical and enzymatic reactions, 12 biochemistry 13 as well as organic and inorganic syntheses. 14,15 In its most common form, a DES is a eutectic mixture of an organic salt (ammonium or phosphonium) and a hydrogen bond donor (HBD), that is made up of different components such as amides, metal salts, alcohols, carboxylic acids and amines that may be used as complexing agents (typically an H-bond donor). 16,17 A DES has a melting point that is far below that of its individual constituents. This is because the complexing agent interacts with the anion and increases its effective size. This, in turn, decreases the anionic interaction with the cation thereby reducing the melting point of the mixture.
18Organometallic redox couples such as ferrocene/ferrocenium (Fc/Fc + ) or cobaltocenium/cobaltocene (Cc + /Cc) are frequently used as a standard reference for non-aqueous solvents in conjunction with a quasi-reference electrode (QRE) to control and evaluate electrode potentials. [19][20][21][22] Fc is often used as an ideal internal reference system for comparison of redox processes in different ILs, although Torriero et al. 23 indicate that the standard redox potential of Fc is dependent on the solvation effects of the solvent and supporting electrolyte used. Fc is often poorly soluble in some ILs, mostly in those with ...