IN-SITU MAGNETOMETRY FOR ELECTRODEPOSITED MATERIALS CHACTERIZATION

We have recently made studies of electrodeposits of Co onto graphene attached to different substrates, successfully performed via in-situ magnetization measurements. The magnetic analysis of deposits as a function of time lapse, indicate that Co grows with different magnetic characteristics from the beginning to the end of each run, independent of the substrate over which the graphene has been deposited on. In this technical note, we use these results and some obtained in several previous researches developed in our laboratory during the last 20 years, to show that the association of in-situ magnetometry with electrodeposition processes can be a powerful tool to understand the dynamics of the electrochemistry involved, as well as the physics of the magnetic materials fabricated. The Electrochemical Alternating Gradient Force Magnetometer (EC-AGFM) is appropriate for: (i) studying the magnetic properties of the electrodeposits either during deposition or dissolution; (ii) evaluating the electrodeposition dynamics via the sample’s magnetic response; (iii) scrutiny of the electrodeposits as they undergo chemical changes (oxidation, etc.); (iv) studying the deposited materials from the atomic level up to bulk; v) studying the effects of addition of trace amounts of anions in the solution and their impact on the magnetic properties of metal adatoms.