Visualization of ion transportation in an electrolyte using an HTS-SQUID gradiometer

•Direct detection of magnetic fields generated by the ion currents was performed.•The hysteresis signals caused by the redox reactions of the electrolyte were observed.•The magnetic signal during the pulsed voltammetry was measured at various positions.

Direct detection of magnetic fields generated by the ion currents in electrolytic cells was performed and the ion currents were mapped during a cyclic voltammetry experiment. A high-Tc superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) gradiometer with ramp-edge Josephson junctions was used as the detector and thus the first derivative of the magnetic field along the electrolytic cell surface was obtained. The electric potential vs. the reference electrode was measured between −0.3 V and 0.8 V and the hysteresis signals caused by the redox reactions of the electrolyte were observed. The vector component of the ion current during cyclic voltammetry was mapped along the electrolytic cell. As a demonstration of visualization of ion transportation, the magnetic signal was also measured at various positions above the electrolytic cell surface.