Preparation, characterization and electrochemical properties of boron-doped diamond films on Nb substrates
(1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China;2. State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China)
Abstract: A series of boron-doped polycrystalline diamond films were prepared by hot filament (HF) chemical vapor deposition on Nb substrates. The effects of B/C ratio of reaction gas on film morphology, growth rate, chemical bonding states, phase composition and electrochemical properties of each deposited sample were studied by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectra, X-ray diffraction, microhardness indentation, and electrochemical analysis. Results show that the average grain size of diamond and the growth rate decrease with increasing the B/C ratio. The diamond films exhibit excellent adhesion under Vickers microhardness testing (9.8 N load). The sample with 2% B/C ratio has a wider potential window and a lower background current as well as a faster redox reaction rate in H2SO4 solution and KFe(CN)6 redox system compared with other doping level electrodes.
Key words: diamond film; hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD); boron doping; electrochemical behavior; niobium substrate; electrode