Magnetoelectrochemical Chirality in Ag Electrodeposition

Chiral behaviors of magnetoelectrodeposited Ag film electrodes were investigated for the electrochemical reactions of glucose and cysteine. The Ag films were electrodeposited under a magnetic field of 2 T perpendicular to the electrode surface at various potentials of -0.06~-0.4 V (vs Ag|Ag+). The current-time curves during the electrodeposition and the surface morphology of the films implied that the film growth was considerably affected by the micro-MHD (magnetohydrodynamic) effect. Such Ag films were employed as an electrode, and voltammograms of glucose and cysteine were examined. Chiral behavior was clearly observed as current difference between the enantiomers on the film electrodes prepared at electrodeposition potentials less than -0.1 V. Such electrochemical chirality disappeared after the oxidation and reduction of the surface monolayer, and this fact indicates that the chiral sites must be just on the film surface.