As compared to typical boron-doped diamond (BDD) film electrodes, DLC films possess great advantages in that they are easily synthesized on various substrate materials at low temperatures (even at room temperature), which is advantageous with regard to large-scale and low-cost industrial production.
Many previous studies have shown that DLC films have high chemical inertness and a relatively wide electrochemical potential window, making them promising candidates for electrochemical electrode materials, especially for waste-water treatment applications. Recently, DLC films have attracted a remarkable amount of attention for electrochemical applications. The effects of the post-annealing temperature on the N-DLC/Ti electrode were also studied with respect to the corresponding electrical and electrochemical properties. With a small amount of nitrogen (3.4 at.%) doping into the DLC film, the resistivity of DLC the films was significantly reduced and the electrochemical activity was enhanced. In addition, arc droplets produced during the AIP process enlarged the surface area of the DLC films and thus enhanced the electrochemical activity of the electrodes. The introduction of multi-layer of Ti/TiC by an arc ion plating (AIP) technique between the DLC film and the Ti substrate enhanced the adhesion force of the DLC film to the Ti substrate, resulting in a large increase of the electrode lifetime.
The effects of the arc interlayer, nitrogen doping, and post-annealing process on the adhesion force, electrical, and electrochemical properties of the electrodes were systemically investigated in this study. In this study, various kinds of electrodes, the DLC films on metal Ti plates were synthesized by the PECVD technique. The low electrical conductivity of DLC film and its poor adhesion to metallic substrates are the main drawbacks of DLC film for electrode applications such as waste-water treatment.