Nanometric thin films of non-doped diamond-like carbon grown on n-type (P-doped) silicon substrates as electrochemical electrodes

Abstract

The electrochemical response of thin non-doped diamond-like carbon films grown by pulsed laser deposition onto n-type (P-doped) silicon substrates was studied using different redox-active couples. The experiments were conducted as a function of the film thickness which can be controlled by the deposition time. It could be demonstrated that the film thickness greatly influences the electrochemical response and the electron transference rate at the surface, thus reaching an optimal response for films with a thickness of around 35 nm. This holds true for all redox couples studied. Those films show rather similar properties compared to boron-doped diamond electrodes, thus becoming an interesting coating to be studied as electrochemical electrode.