ELECTRODEPOSITION OF METAL ADLAYERS ON BORON-DOPED DIAMOND THIN-FILM ELECTRODES

A preliminary investigation of the electrochemical deposition of Pt, P b, and Hg adlayers on conductive diamond thin-film surfaces has been m ade using cyclic voltammetry and scanning electron microscopy. The dia mond thin films employed were polycrystalline, grown on conductive Si substrates (1 cm(2)) to a thickness of ca. 14 mu m, and doped with bor on at a nominal atomic concentration ranging between 10(19) and 10(20) cm(-3). The cyclic volammetric measurements were performed both in a conventional glass electrochemical cell and in a thin-layer flow cell. The results demonstrate that metallization of diamond film surfaces e lectrochemically is feasible, opening the door for the development of novel catalytic electrodes, sensors, and detectors using this advanced material.