Attempt to deposit carbon nitride films by electrodeposition from an organic liquid

Carbon nitride films were synthesized by electrodeposition from an organic liquid on silicon substrates at temperatures lower than 80 degrees C. The N /C ratio in the films is about 0.25. The x-ray diffraction measurement indi cates that the film contains some C3N4 polycrystalline phases. The Fourier- transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Rama n spectroscopy analyses suggest the presence of both single and double carb on-nitrogen bonds. The deposition mechanisms are also discussed. Our paper shows that the electrodeposition technique may hold some promise for synthe sizing the metastable compound C3N4 in the liquid phase. [S0163-1829(99)054 03-X].