SQUID magnetometry applied as a non-invasive electroanalytic chemical technique

A SQUID magnetometer, used as a highly sensitive ammeter, has been used to perform standard electroanalytic chemical measurements noninvasively. Specifically, the magnetic fields generated by the net ionic movement in the solution of a driven electrochemical system are detected by the gradiometer coils. The SQUID signal can then be compared to conventional current measurements. One such standard measurement investigated is cyclic voltammetry (CV) which determines the I- V characteristics of an electrochemical system yielding critical kinetic parameters. This investigation shows nearly identical results of measurements by the SQUID to those obtained by conventional techniques. A particularly attractive advantage of SQUID magnetometry is that noninvasive magnetic detection of ionic currents in solution may permit spatial resolution of ionic currents, unattainable by conventional techniques