Influence of magnetic forces on electrochemical mass transport

Enhancements of the order of 100% in the mass transport limited current for electrodeposition have been observed in magnetic fields of order 1 T. The effect of the field is to induce convection in the solution and it is equiv alent to rotating the electrode or stirring the solution. In this communica tion, a quantitative comparison is made of the magnitude of various body fo rces which have been proposed to account for the experimentally observed ef fects, with a view to identifying the likely source of the field enhancemen t. When the magnetic field is uniform, the Lorentz force and the electrokin etic force both contribute significantly to the field enhancement. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.