n-Type nitrogenated nanocrystalline diamond thin-film electrodes: The effect of the nitrogenation on electrochemical properties

Nitrogenated nanocrystalline diamond thin-film electrodes with controlled conductivity are grown from microwave- or arc-plasma in CH₄-Ar-H₂-N₂ gas mixtures. Their electrochemical behavior is studied using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. It is concluded from Mott-Schottky plots that the studied material has n-type conductance; the donor concentration is estimated. The character of electrode behavior is controlled by the degree of nitrogenation of the material. In particular, with the increasing of nitrogen concentration in the feeding gas (0-25%) supplied to plasma-chemical reactor, the potential window in the supporting electrolyte (2.5 M H₂SO₄) becomes somewhat narrower, the reversibility of electrochemical reactions in the [Fe(CN)₆]^3−/4− redox couple becomes more pronounced. Kinetic parameters of redox reactions in this couple are determined. By and large, with the increasing of the nitrogenation the electrochemical behavior of “poor conductor” gives way to that of metal-like conductor.