Cyclic Voltammetry Studies of Sputtered Nitrogen Doped Diamond-Like Carbon Film Electrodes

The conductive nitrogen-doped diamond-like carbon film (N-DLC) of about 0.14 μm in thickness was deposited on highly conductive silicon wafer (111) with DC magnetron sputtering system. The electrochemical characteristics of the film have been studied with cyclic voltammetry (CV). The N-DLC film electrodes compare very favorably with conventional carbon based electrodes such as glassy carbon. The N-DLC film electrode exhibits a low double-layer capacitance, a large electrochemical potential window, and a relatively high electrochemical activity toward ferricyanide reduction. In addition, the electrode exhibits catalytic activity for Cl2/Cl− as well as durability to high anodic potential, and a high signal for the trace analysis of Pb2+. These characteristics demonstrate great promise of the N-DLC film as a novel electrode material for electrochemical analysis.