Production of B-Doped Diamond Films for use as Inert Electrochemical Electrodes

We have worked on the production of boron-doped CVD diamond films for use as inert electrodes in electrochemical applications, e.g. cyclic voltammetry. Boron doping is achieved using B2H6 gas at concentrations of a few 100 ppm in the usual CH4/H2 gas mixture. Diamond films can be made with conductivity ranging from highly insulating, through various degrees of semiconductivity, to fully metallic, depending upon the B-doping level we choose. Electrochemistry experiments using these films, and with films of nanodiamond, are performed in David Fermin's group.

HF Boron CVD reactor electrochem images
The hot filament CVD reactor used to prepare B-doped diamond films.B-doped diamond 'teepee' and 'honeycomb' structures have been made with high surface area. These make excellent sensitive electrochemical electrodes, and may be useful as supercapacitors.

References

(All available to download from Publications page)

  1. H. Zanin, P. W. May, D. Fermin, D. Plana, S. M. C. Vieira, W. I. Milne and E. J. Corat, "Porous boron-doped diamond/carbon nanotube electrodes", ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 6, (2014) 990-995.
  2. H. Zanin. P.W May, R.L Harniman, T. Risbridger, E.J. Corat, D.J. Fermin, "High surface area diamond-like carbon electrodes grown on vertically aligned carbon nanotubes", Carbon 82 (2015) 288-296.