Enhancing Enantioselectivity of Electrodeposited CuO Films by Chiral Etching

The enantioselectivity of electrodeposited CuO with a chiral orientation is enhanced if the CuO is first etched in a solution of tartaric acid. Electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance studies show that CuO(11̄1̄) electrodeposited from l-tartrate etches faster in l-tartaric acid, whereas CuO(11̄1̄) electrodeposited from d-tartrate etches faster in d-tartaric acid. The enantioselectivity is probed by cyclic voltammetry. The proposed mechanism differentiates between chiral orientation and chiral surface. The enhancement of enantioselectivity of the films with chiral orientations is attributed to an increase in the chiral surface area of the etched CuO films.