Executive Summary : | The Chiral Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS) effect is a phenomenon where the efficiency of electron transport through chiral molecules depends on the electron spin, which changes with the enantiomeric form of a molecule and the direction of the electron's linear momentum. This allows chiral molecules to act as spin-filters while transferring electrons through them. In electrochemical reactions, spin-controlled charge transfer can be achieved by coating an electrode with chiral molecules, while spin-dependent charge transfer can be achieved if the working electrode is magnetic and the molecule in the solution is chiral or triplet. This project aims to observe the effect of spin-controlled charge transfer on the oxygen reduction process. The oxygen reduction reaction can be controlled by spin-dependent charge transfer through chiral molecules, as seen in the oxygen oxidation process in electrochemical water splitting. As molecular oxygen has a triplet ground state, it prefers to accept electrons in a spin selective way. Electrodes coated with chiral molecules should be more efficient for oxygen reduction compared to those coated with achiral molecules. The electrochemical setup will consist of a gold-coated silicon surface as a working electrode, a platinum wire as a counter electrode, and an Ag/AgCl (3 M) or Saturated Calomel Electrode as the reference electrode. Electrochemical measurements will be conducted using a potentiostat electrochemical workstation. |