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Surface oxidation processes play a key role in understanding electrochemical properties of boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes. The type of surface termination groups, which create the potential window of electrolytic water stability or hydrophobicity, influences such properties. In this study the kinetics of oxidation process under anodic polarization were studied in situ by means of Dynamic Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (DEIS) technique. This novel approach allows for obtaining the impedance data for non-stationary systems. It has been proven that for [B] dopant level of 10k ppm, polarization to 1.5 V vs. Ag|AgCl is sufficient to initiate transformation of the film terminating BDD electrodes. XPS analysis and wettability measurements confirmed oxidation under given conditions.
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PROOF COPY [JES-14-0569] 016406JES
Journal of The Electrochemical Society,161 (6) H1-H6 (2014) H1
0013-4651/2014/161(6)/H1/6/$31.00 ©The Electrochemical Society
Dynamic Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (DEIS) as a
Tool for Analyzing Surface Oxidation Processes on Boron-Doped
Diamond Electrodes
1
2
3
Jacek Ryl,a,zRobert Bogdanowicz,bPawel Slepski,aMichal Sobaszek,b
and Kazimierz Darowickia
4
5
aDepartment of Electrochemistry, Corrosion and Material Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology,
Gdansk 80-233, Poland
6
7
bDepartment of Metrology and Optoelectronics, Gdansk University of Technology, Gdansk 80-233, Poland8
9
Surface oxidation processes play a key role in understanding electrochemical properties of boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes.
The type of surface termination groups, which create the potential window of electrolytic water stability or hydrophobicity, influences
such properties. In this study the kinetics of oxidation process under anodic polarization were studied in situ by means of Dynamic
Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (DEIS) technique. This novel approach allows for obtaining the impedance data for non-
stationary systems. It has been proven that for [B] dopant level of 10k ppm, polarization to 1.5 V vs. Ag|AgCl is sufficient to initiate
transformation of the film terminating BDD electrodes. XPS analysis and wettability measurements confirmed oxidation under given
conditions.
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
© 2014 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/2.016406jes] All rights reserved.17
18
Manuscript submitted February 17, 2014; revised manuscript received March 20, 2014. Published 00 0, 2014.19
Boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes have been recently stud-20
ied in-depth because of their outstanding electrochemical features21
which include a wide electrochemical potential window in aqueous22
electrolytes,1high anodic stability,2and particular electrochemical23
stability in harsh environments.3,4These properties make BDD a24
useful electrode material for applications in wastewater treatment,57
25
electrochemical sensing811 and electrocatalysis.1214 BDD is mostly26
synthesized by hot-filament CVD (HF CVD)15,16 or microwave27
plasma-assisted CVD (MW PA CVD) and in situ doped with boron28
precursors.17 The boron dopant density influences not only the elec-29
trical properties of electrode, but also its morphology and structure30
(sp3/sp2ratio).6,18,19 Nevertheless, the electrochemical behavior of31
BDD depends on these properties.20,21
32
Boron concentration has impact on the electrochemical and elec-33
trical properties of BDD electrodes. The final density of boron dopant,34
achieved by using microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor depo-35
sition (MW PA CVD), ranges from 1016 to 1021 atomsccm3, for the36
dopant density of 2 ·1020 the p-type semiconducting material trans-37
form to semimetal.5
38
The processes occurring on the BDD semiconducting electrodes39
are irreversible.22 The potential window of electrolytic water stability40
rises with increasing dopant concentration. Not only the dopant level41
but also the surface termination type (hydrogen and oxygen2325 and42
other compounds added during plasma etching, i.e. CF4,Cl
2,Arand43
CH426) of boron-doped diamond electrodes is an important factor in44
the electrode kinetics27 and its reversibility.28 Many kinds of surface45
treatment can be utilized, including dry and wet processes such as46
plasma treatment or electrochemical polarization. Recently, many in-47
vestigators focus on hydrogen terminations (HT-BDD) and oxygen48
terminations (OT-BDD). BDD films deposited by microwave plasma-49
assisted chemical vapor deposition mainly present HT-BDD due to50
using hydrogen plasma.6,11
51
Transformation of HT-BDD to OT-BDD is worthy of interest. It52
can be achieved by oxygen plasma treatments, chemical oxidation or53
anodic polarization.29,30 As a result of such transformation, different54
combinations of bonds can be formed on the BDD surface such as,55
=O, –O– and –OH.31,32 On the other hand, the anodic polarization56
process is not fully reversible by the cathodic treatment, even at deep57
potentials.33 Hoffmann et al.34 anodized the BDD layers in 1M H2SO4
58
with 0.5M HNO3for a 10 s period under different polarization poten-59
tials. Based on the analysis of AFM and XPS data, it was suggested60
that for this specific period of time the oxidation level depends on61
the potential, and it is not complete even for the potential of 6 V.62
zE-mail: jacek.ryl@pg.gda.pl
The longer the oxidation process, the more complete the termination 63
layer. Chaplin et al.2used the results of XPS and CV studies to pro- 64
pose that freshly prepared BDD electrodes containing high density 65
of CHx(1 x3) surface sites can be oxidized by a sequence 66
of direct electron transfer reactions and reactions with OHto form 67
=C=O and -C-OH functional groups. Additionally, Salazar-Banda et 68
al.35 reported that the galvanostatic cathodic pre-treatment in steps of 69
600 C cm2passed using 1Acm
2until 14000 C cm2caused 70
an expressive physical degradation of the BDD surface. However, the 71
limited charge density value of 9Ccm
2(at 1Acm
2) is op- 72
timal to obtain activation of the BDD electrodes (at 800, 2000, and 73
8000 ppm of boron doping) without producing any observable physi- 74
cal degradation. 75
HT-BDD surface is hydrophobic and highly conductive, while 76
OT-BDD surface is hydrophilic and displays low conductivity. The 77
mechanism involved is not fully explained, however, one of the possi- 78
ble explanations of high conductivity of HT-BDD is related to the 79
acceptor role of hydrogen. The potential window is much wider 80
for OT than HT, and it shifts energy bands to lower values.25,36 81
Moreover, the shifts of energy bands also depend on the method 82
of surface oxidation, anodic polarization more highly shifts energy 83
bands than wet oxidation.37 Changing the termination type to OT af- 84
fects the charge transfer processes, which leads to electroanalytical 85
selectivity.38 86
Numerous electrochemical studies were performed on BDD with 87
various dopant levels, which focused on the application of cyclic 88
voltammetry (CV) or electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). 89
The impedance measurement provides a valuable information about 90
the electrochemical properties of the investigated system. The tech- 91
nique, however, has a major constraint, i.e. a need to preserve the 92
stationary conditions during the entire duration of measurement. As 93
a result of anodic polarization, polycrystalline BDD electrodes are 94
subjected to variable conditions. In order to observe online changes in 95
impedance parameters, a slight modification of the technique is neces- 96
sary. Dynamic Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (DEIS) uti- 97
lizes a package of multiple sinusoids generated simultaneously over a 98
wide frequency range and acting as an excitation signal. DEIS can be 99
combined with DC measurements such as chronovoltammetry, which 100
allows the direct analysis of changes in electrical parameters result- 101
ing from excitation. Such an approach has been successfully used to 102
analyze various electrochemical processes.3941 103
This paper focuses on the presentation of analytical capabilities 104
provided by DEIS that are suitable for studying the oxidation pro- 105
cesses on the BDD surface, in particular OT-BDD formation under 106
deep anodic polarization conditions. Despite increasing interest in 107
BDD electrochemistry, only a limited number of works describing the 108
Author Proof
H2 Journal of The Electrochemical Society,161 (6) H1-H6 (2014)
Figure 1. Anodic polarization of the BDD electrode in the potential range of
up to 2.5 V. The first ( ), third ( ),fifth ( ) and seventh ( ) polarization
cycle. Reference electrode Ag|AgCl. Scan rate 0.5 mV/s. Arrow indicates
change of potential window width with number of polarization cycles.
mechanism of BDD oxidation processes and electron transfer across109
the oxygenated BDD electrode/electrolyte interface for various boron110
dopant levels have been published so far.111
Experimental112
Si/BDD electrodes were synthesized in an MW PA CVD system113
(Seki Technotron, Japan) on p-type Si wafers with (111) orientation.114
The substrates were seeded by sonication in nanodiamond suspension115
(crystallite size of 5–10 nm) for 1h.42,43 Next, the substrates were116
dried under a stream of nitrogen. The substrate temperature was kept117
at 1000C during the deposition process. During the first step of the118
procedure, substrates were etched in hydrogen plasma for 3 min.119
Excited plasma was ignited by microwave radiation (2.45 GHz). The120
plasma microwave power, optimized for diamond synthesis, was kept121
at 1300 W. The gas mixture ratio was 1% of the molar ratio of CH4-122
H2at gas volume 300 sccm of total flow rate. The base pressure was123
about 106Torr, and the process pressure was kept at 50 Torr. All124
samples were doped with diborane (B2H6) dopant precursor. [B]/[C]125
ratio in plasma was 10000 ppm. The time of polycrystalline layer126
growth was 6h, which resulted in the thickness of deposited films of127
approx. 2 μm.4446
128
Electrochemical studies were carried out in a three-electrode sys-129
tem. The working electrode consisted of the BDD layer with the silver130
chloride electrode acting as a reference electrode, and platinum mesh131
as a counter electrode. All potentials reported in our paper are ex- 132
pressed on the scale of silver chloride electrode. The partial area of 133
the sample, i.e. 0.5 cm2was exposed to 1 M H2SO4solution. The 134
cell volume was 50 mL. Autolab 302N was used to apply cyclic 135
polarization in the range of potentials from the corrosion potential 136
(+0.1 V) to 2.5 V at a rate of 0.5 mV/s. After five cycles, no further 137
change in the impedance parameters had been observed. Edc signal 138
is combined with a composition of selected voltage sinusoids in the 139
frequency range from 45 kHz to 0.7 Hz. The resulting AC perturbation 140
peak-to-peak amplitude did not exceed 20 mV. AC signal generation 141
and simultaneous recording of both voltage and current signals was 142
performed using a National Instrument card PXI4461. The resulting 143
records were divided into fragments of 10-sec length, and subjected 144
to Fourier transformation. Small changes within this area allowed to 145
obtain local impedance spectra correlated with time and electrode po- 146
tential. Details of this technique have been presented elsewhere.47,48 147
The measurement was carried out using dedicated software, written 148
in LabView environment. The resulting impedance spectra were ana- 149
lyzed by means of ZSimpWin 3.21, EChem Software. 150
In order to determine changes in chemical composition on the 151
surface as a result of HT-BDD into OT-BDD transformation, XPS 152
measurements were carried out on Escalab 250Xi (ThermoFisher Sci- 153
entific) equipped with monochromatic Al X-ray source and a spot 154
diameter of 200 μm. Data analysis was performed using Avantage 155
software supplied by the manufacturer. Surface wettability was mea- 156
sured by the sessile drop method (drop volume 0.5 μL) using 157
the self-designed tensiometer system based on B/W CCD camera 158
(Thorlabs, DCU223M, USA). Determinations of the angle between 159
the BDD surface and the tangent of the drop were performed using 160
MATLAB 6.0 (The MathWorks, USA). 161
Results and Discussion 162
Electrochemical oxidation.— In Figure 1the anodic polarization 163
curves for the first, third, fifth and seventh polarization cycle are 164
presented; the initial presence of the complex peak in the range from 165
1.5 to 2 V followed by an increase in current, which is typical for 166
the evolution of oxygen, can be observed. The peak manifested itself 167
particularly strongly in the first cycle of anodic polarization, which 168
suggests that the relaxation process on the surface of BDD electrode 169
begins for the potential values >1.5 V. The subsequent cycles are 170
characterized by significantly lower current peaks in this region, while 171
after the fifth cycle, no further changes were observed. 172
A visualization of DEIS results in the form of changes in 173
impedance and capacitance spectra during anodic polarization are 174
presented in Figure 2a and 2b, respectively. The individual impedance 175
Figure 2. Changes in impedance spectra (a) and capacitance spectra (b) resulting from anodic polarization. Visualization in the form of Nyquist plot. Reference
electrode Ag|AgCl. Scan rate 0.5 mV/s.
Author Proof
Journal of The Electrochemical Society,161 (6) H1-H6 (2014) H3
Figure 3. Electric equivalent circuit used for analysis, composed of two
time constants. First one, in the range of high frequencies, defined by C1
and R1. Low frequency range time constant is defined by CPE =f(Q2,n)
and R2.
spectra were approximately semi-circular, with their size being de-176
termined by the magnitude of polarization. Particularly large changes177
occurred for the potential values >1.5 V. In the detailed picture the178
second time constant is visible for the very high frequency values, i.e.179
above 1 kHz. Another possible way of presenting DEIS results is by180
using the complex capacity system (Fig. 2b). This approach partic-181
ularly allows the observation of changes in the capacity parameters182
under anodic polarization. In this case, the local increase in capacity183
was visible in the vicinity of 1.5 V, indicating a transformation on184
the sample surface. For the potential values >2 V, capacitance spectra185
assumed the shape of straight lines as a result of oxygen evolution186
processes taking place on the surface.187
The impedance techniques are an important tool for investigat-188
ing the BDD layers, however, there is lack of uniformity in the189
equivalent circuit selection which is a key element in data analy-190
sis. Trouillon and O’Hare49 used the classic Randles circuit with the191
Warburg impedance R(C(RW)) to evaluate biofouling resistance. A192
similar circuit, including a constant phase element, CPE in the place193
of capacitance R(Q(RW)) was proposed by S.C.B. Oliveira and A.M.194
Oliveira-Brett50 in the studies of BDD termination layer formed under195
anodic and cathodic polarization. CPE is generally used to account196
for the interfacial impedance; its use is well established in modeling197
of sp2-based carbon electrodes and other non-homogenous materials.198
The explanation of such element is controversial, yet in many cases, it199
is related to the presence of different components with various capac-200
itances on the surface. It may be suitable for modeling inhomogene-201
ity at the atomic scale,51 adsorption effects52 or microscopic surface 202
roughness.53 A contribution of the Warburg diffusion impedance to 203
the analysis of oxidized BDD electrodes is sometimes represented 204
by a CPE such as RC(CQ) or RC(CQ)(CR),54 but in most cases it is 205
completely overlooked. A quite popular circuit, used by J. Hernando 206
et al.55 and Y. V. Pleskov et al.,56 consists of only one time constant 207
R(QR). In the case of oxygen terminated BDD (O-BDD) electrodes, 208
two time constants were observed in the impedance studies of a sim- 209
ple redox reaction.57 The obtained results suggest that the electron 210
transfer process is mediated by surface states, which is in agreement 211
with the model proposed in single-crystal studies.27 Denisenko et al. 212
used R(CR)(CR) circuit in the study on anodic oxidation of BDD in 213
H2SO4.37 One RC element was related to the termination layer on the 214
BDD surface, while the other described the depletion (space charge) 215
layer in BDD. Rameshan58 utilized a similar circuit in other solutions. 216
The definition of individual circuit elements varies for all of the above 217
mentioned articles. 218
In this study a circuit similar to that described by Denisenko et al.37 219
was proposed, replacing the capacitance of the second time constant 220
with CPE (Fig. 3). The Warburg impedance was not included into this 221
equivalent circuit due to the limitation of the frequency range used. 222
The two time constants, characterized by the impedance parameters 223
(R1,C
1)and(R
2,Q
2) were estimated for a high and low frequency 224
range, respectively. The interpretation of these parameters is anal- 225
ogous to that presented above. The analysis of impedance spectra 226
based on the proposed equivalent circuit provides information 227
about the processes taking place on BDD electrodes during anodic 228
polarization. It must be noted that because the first time constants are 229
smaller by a few orders of magnitude, C1and R1might carry much 230
higher estimation error. 231
The impedance parameters of the first time constant are connected 232
to the hydrogenated/oxidized termination layer, and they represent its 233
resistance and capacitance (Fig. 4a,4b). For a polarization potential 234
of 1.5 V, resistance R1exhibits weak local minimum correlated to 235
an increase in the current, which is often visible in the case of re- 236
laxation processes. A consecutive increase of R1is often due to the 237
limited amount of the reagent or diffusion control. However, further 238
polarization cycles do not show similar dependence, indicating irre- 239
versibility of the observed process. For the range of potential above 240
Figure 4. Changes in capacitance C1(a) and
resistance R1(b) of the first time constant; as
well as constant phase element impedance Q2
(c) and resistance R2(d) of the second time
constant under anodic polarization of up to
2.5V for the first ( ), third ( ), fifth ( )
and seventh ( ) polarization cycle. Arrow
marks changes of impedance parameters with
number of polarization scans.
Author Proof
H4 Journal of The Electrochemical Society,161 (6) H1-H6 (2014)
Figure 5. Relationship between the 1/Q2values and potential E for the first
polarization cycle. The linear correlation at low polarization potentials indi-
cates p-type semiconductivity of BDD electrode. For E >1.5 V, double-layer
capacitance has influence on the CPE.
1.5 V, an increase in R1is stronger during the next polarization cycles.241
The transformation of hydrogenated termination on the BDD elec-242
trode surface to other functional groups (i.e. =O, –OH) shows similar243
behavior.50 The boundary phase is also an area where capacitance is244
generated. Any change in the composition of the termination layer245
involves a capacitance change which is only within one order of mag-246
nitude. The capacitance parameter C1drops as a result of consecutive247
polarization cycles, as it would be in the case of formation of the248
adsorption layer on the BDD surface.249
Changes in the resistance (R2) and capacitance values in the form250
of CPE (Q2) are presented in Figure 4c,4d. Initially, R2only slightly251
depends on the potential of anodization; it equals 40–50 kand252
drops by two orders of magnitude with the appearance of the current253
peak at 1.5 V. After reaching this point, R2displays a local plateau.254
The interpretation of such behavior should be linked to the oxidation255
processes on BDD electrode. A further decrease in the value of R2
256
for the potential >2 V results from oxygen evolution at high anodic257
polarization potentials. The consecutive polarization scans show an258
increase in R2values by up to one order of magnitude in the entire259
potential range.260
Impedance of CPE is equal to Q2(ωi)n. Within the experiment261
the value of n parameter was fluctuating around 0.9, suggesting that262
CPE behavior is similar to that of a capacitor. A physical explana-263
tion of Q2is complex; it is based on the experimental data. In the264
case of interpreting this parameter as a double layer capacitance,265
one should observe its changes in the range of potential characteris- 266
tic for relaxation processes (adsorption or electrochemical reaction). 267
Such relation can be seen in the proximity of polarization potential of 268
1.5 V (Fig. 4c). However, below this potential, double layer capaci- 269
tance should not be a subject to change. In the analyzed case, the initial 270
increase in CPE can be explained by the dual nature of this parameter. 271
Fig. 5shows the Mott-Schottky dependence 1/Q2during the first po- 272
larization cycle as a function of potential. A linear correlation, typical 273
for p-type semiconductors, is evident until the potential reaches 1.5 V. 274
As soon as the oxidation processes are initiated, the linear correlation 275
is no longer present. Therefore, the parameter Q must be regarded as 276
a parallel combination of two elements, i.e. depletion-layer capaci- 277
tance and double-layer capacitance. The peak in CPE at 1.5 V is most 278
visible for the first cycle; it becomes negligible for the consecutive 279
polarization scans, where the layer is already formed, proving a direct 280
connection between the CPE and oxidation process of the termination 281
layer. 282
XPS and wettability analysis.— XPS was performed for hydro- 283
genated and oxidized BDD electrodes to get qualitative and quantita- 284
tive information on the oxidation level and termination groups on the 285
BDD surface. Figure 6show the C1s spectral region before and after 286
anodic polarization to 2.5 V. 287
Hydrogen plasma-treated BDD sample (Fig. 6a) contains two main 288
components, i.e. one at 284.6 eV (noted as C1), and another shifted at 289
+0.6 eV (noted as C2). For the anodic polarization of BDD electrodes 290
in 0.5M H2SO4, Wang et al. assigned those peaks to hydrogenated and 291
non-hydrogenated diamond surface, respectively.31 The very location 292
of peak C1 can shift with the dopant level in the sample. The energy 293
value of 284.6 eV is in good agreement with similar results reported 294
for polycrystalline electrode with the boron dopant level at 1e19 cm3.295
However, for different dopant levels, this peak can shift even up to 296
+1eV.
59 The third peak (noted as C3) observed in the case of hy- 297
drogenated sample is shifted by +1.4 eV, which corresponds to the 298
oxidized carbon atoms C-OH and C-OC due to the unavoidable ex- 299
posure of the sample to atmospheric conditions. Fig. 6b shows the 300
results of the anodic polarization of BDD electrode for the poten- 301
tial range up to 2.5 V. Peak C1s includes two additional components 302
related to the oxidized forms of carbon; C4 is shifted by +2.2 V, 303
while C5, by +3.9 eV. These peaks correspond to C=O and COOH 304
bonds. Such interpretation is in agreement with previously published 305
results.31,37,59,60 306
In BDD electrodes sp2carbon may also influence the properties of 307
anodized layer, serving as a mediator for the charge transfer.61 On the 308
basis of Raman bands intensity, measured elsewhere6the sp3/sp2ratio 309
of BDD electrode was equal to 37. Electrochemical etching, which 310
occurs as a result of anodic polarization, additionally removes sp2-C; 311
Figure 6. High resolution XPS spectra and the surface wettability measurement for hydrogen plasma-treated BDD electrode (a), and for the same electrode after
one (b) and five (c) anodic polarization cycles in the range up to +2.5 V.
Author Proof
Journal of The Electrochemical Society,161 (6) H1-H6 (2014) H5
Table I. Percent contribution of each C1s obtained by peak fitting for HT-BDD and electrochemically formed OT-BDD electrodes (after first and
fifth polarization cycle).
Surface termination C1 [%.at] C2 [%.at] C3 [%.at] C4 [%.at] C5 [%.at]
HT-BDD: plasma treatment 75 21 4 00
OT-BDD: after 1st cycle 45 36 10 6 3
OT-BDD: after 5th cycle 24 45 17 8 6
thus resulting in reduced activity of the BDD surface. During anodic312
polarization in H2SO4,sp2-hybridized carbon corrodes and is removed313
from the BDD surface in the oxidized CO/CO2form.61 As a result,314
sp2component (peak at 283.3 eV 62) was not taken into consideration315
due to its negligible size.316
As a result of the anodic polarization treatment, the amount of hy-317
drogenated carbon (C1) drops thrice (Table I). The contribution of the318
identified carbon-oxygen functional groups (C3, C4 and C5) increases319
from approximately 4% (resulting from atmospheric oxidation only)320
to over 31%, giving a proof of reconfiguration to OT-BDD. Impor-321
tantly, for the polarization potential of 2.5 V, at least three different322
types of oxidized carbon were observed. Their formation may be a323
result of the competition between various mechanisms of HT-BDD324
oxidation 60 or be initiated at different electrode potentials.325
The surface wettability was measured after hydrogen plasma treat-326
ment and anodic oxidation. The contact angle of hydrogen plasma-327
treated sample was 71, proving that the surface of BDD sample is328
hydrogen terminated due to its hydrophobicity. After the full anodic329
polarization, the measured contact angle was 26. A change in the330
contact angle of over 40serves as a proof of overlapping anodic331
oxidation taking place on the sample surface.332
Conclusions333
DEIS technique had proven its usefulness in an in situ study of334
changes in electric parameters that result from the oxidation processes335
on the BDD surface. The impedance parameters showed a behavior336
typical of electrochemical processes taking place on the semiconduc-337
tive electrode. Anodic polarization of 1.5 V is sufficient to start the338
transformation of initially H-terminated BDD. A complete oxidation339
of BDD surface was reached in under five polarization cycles, whereas340
no further change in the impedance parameters was observed.341
Oxidation of the terminating layer was proved on the basis of high342
resolution XPS analysis and wettability measurements. XPS study343
demonstrated that the transformation can be characterized by differ-344
ent mechanisms, leading to different states of carbon oxidation on345
the surface. The variation of DEIS parameters might indicate that the346
different oxidation processes take place after reaching certain polar-347
ization level, however further research is needed in order to investigate348
this hypothesis.349
Acknowledgments350
The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from351
the Polish National Science Center (NCN) under grant no.352
2011/03/D/ST7/03541.353
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... Recently, an extension of the classical EIS, called dynamic EIS (DEIS) has been used to examine the corrosion process of Al [31][32][33] and Mg alloys [34]. The DEIS technique makes it possible to receive instantaneous impedance spectra by a multisinusoidal perturbation signal instead of the classical frequency-by-frequency EIS approach [35,36]. The measurement duration is determined by the lowest frequency applied, which in DEIS is typically limited to Hz range. ...
... The excitation signal is generated continuously during the experiment, and the registered changes in potential and current are sequenced into appropriate portions and transformed using Fourier transform. Such a process produces a series of instantaneous impedance spectra, thus offering the opportunity to investigate non-stationary processes [24,25]. For example, the impedimetric (resistive or capacitive) response may be studied in real time upon specific or non-specific binding occurring at the electrode surface. ...
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) enters the cells through the binding of spike protein to the host cell surface-expressing angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) or by endocytosis mediated by extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (CD147). We present extended statistical studies of the multisine dynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (DEIS) revealing interactions between Spike RBD and cellular receptors ACE2 and CD147, and a reference anti-RBD antibody (IgG2B) based on a functionalised boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode. The DEIS was supported by a multivariate data analysis of a SARS-CoV-2 Spike RBD assay and cross-correlated with the atomic-level information revealed by molecular dynamics simulations. Our approach allowed us to study and detect subtle changes in the electrical properties responsible for the susceptibility of cellular receptors to SARS-CoV-2, revealing their interactions. Changes in electrical homogeneity in the function of the RBD concentration led to the conclusion that the ACE2 receptor delivers the most homogeneous surface, delivered by the high electrostatic potential of the relevant docking regions. For higher RBD concentrations, the differences in electrical homogeneity between electrodes with different receptors vanish. Collectively, this study reveals interdependent virus entry paths involving separately ACE2, CD147, and spike protein, provided by a developed biosensing platform for the rapid screening of cellular interactions (i.e. testing various mutations of SARS-CoV-2 or screening of therapeutic drugs).
... Beyond these, a cluster of references consider the use of DEIS in a variety of fields-including electropolymerization, organic coatings, organic film degradation, surface electrochemical reactions, and quasireversible redox systems (72)(73)(74)(75)(76). Insofar as such DEIS studies paved the way for further investigations on the processes of surface oxidation, boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes have been the subject of close scrutiny in electrochemistry research (77). To gain further insight into the formation of oxygen terminations on BDD under deep anodic polarization conditions, Ryl et al. studied the kinetics of oxidation in situ by means of DEIS in 1 M H 2 SO 4 solution (78). Their findings demonstrated that the DEIS technique was robust enough to examine in situ changes in electric parameters resulting from BDD surface oxidation. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
Finding suitable measurement methods for the effective management of electrochemical problems is of paramount importance, particularly for improving efficiency in corrosion protection. The need for accurate measurement techniques specific to nonstationary conditions has long been recognized, and promising approaches have emerged. This chapter introduces dynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy as a novel advancement in electrochemistry that can be used efficiently in galvanostatic and potentiostatic modes. The review focuses first on an explanation of the method and second on presenting a comprehensive corpus covering available studies that have applied dynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for the purpose of preventing corrosion phenomena. This chapter defines the merits of this novel approach compared with the conventional electrochemical impedance spectroscopy method.
... The recorded contact angle for the BDD H was 94.5 and for the BDD D was 85.7 . The measured angles are in agreement with other works [39,40]. The almost 10 difference between the contact angle can be explained by the difference in crystallite size and facet, which be determined by the amount of the surface termination by hydrogen or deuterium, resulting in different free surface energies [41]. ...
Article
Boron-doped diamond (BDD) have attracted increasing attention as a material for electrochemical sensors and biosensors due to its remarkable properties such as its chemical inertness, wide electrochemical potential window, low background current and biocompatibility. Diamond layers are synthesized mainly from a gas phase consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and a dopant source by microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapour deposition (MPACVD). The gas composition during the growth of diamond film has a significant influence on its surface morphology, crystallographic structure, dopant concentration, and superficial non-diamond carbon phases. Thus, the growth conditions of the diamond layer affect the electrochemical properties of the material. Herein we demonstrate the electrochemical and physicochemical studies of as-grown boron-doped diamond thin-film electrodes, synthesized in a deuterium-rich plasma (BDD D ). It is the first report concerning the study of the effect of replacing hydrogen by deuterium during BDD growth. The substitution of hydrogen to deuterium in the gas phase is primarily responsible for the enhanced boron doping and significantly decrease of nondiamond sp ² phase in diamond films. Moreover, the crystallographic structure of BDD D layer is dominated by the (111) configuration while the texture of the BDD H electrode film is oriented along the (220) direction [1]. The proposed boron-doped diamonds synthesized in the deuterium-rich plasma electrodes were revealed to have a higher activity towards [Fe(CN) 6 ] 3-/4- and [Ru(NH 3 ) 6 ] 2+/3+ redox mediators than BDD electrode grown in hydrogen-rich plasma (BDD H ). The peak-to-peak separation recorded on BDD D electrode reaches 60.6 mV, and 59.8 mV in [Fe(CN) 6 ] 3-/4- and [Ru(NH 3 ) 6 ] 2+/3+ redox couples, respectively. Moreover, in Ru(NH 3 ) 6 2+/3+ solution, the apparent heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant k ° app for the BDD D was equal to 5.84·10 ⁻³ cm s ⁻¹ . The BDD D and BDD H electrodes were also used as an electrochemical sensor for the paracetamol detection. BDD D electrode exhibits better sensing performance towards PCM comparing to BDD H electrode. The value of limit of detectionfor the BDD D electrode was 765 nM, whereas for the BDD H was 2510 nM. The better electrocatalytic behavior of the BDD D electrodes may result from the higher amount of electroactive zones on deuterium-terminated diamond strictly related to (111) crystal facets. Acknowledgement This work was supported by the Polish National Science Centre [2020/01/0/ST7/00104]. The DS funds of the Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications, and Informatics of the Gdansk University of Technology are also acknowledged. Reference: [1] A. Dettlaff et al. , Carbon [In press]. Doi: doi.org/10.1016/j.carbon.2020.11.096.
... The recorded contact angle for the BDD H was 94.5 and for the BDD D was 85.7 . The measured angles are in agreement with other works [39,40]. The almost 10 difference between the contact angle can be explained by the difference in crystallite size and facet, which be determined by the amount of the surface termination by hydrogen or deuterium, resulting in different free surface energies [41]. ...
Article
Full-text available
Novel highly-oriented (111)-textured boron-doped diamond electrodes (BDDD) featuring high electrochemical activity and electrode stability toward electrochemical analytics were fabricated by deuterium-rich microwave plasma CVD. The high flux deuterium plasma-induced preferential formation of (111)-faceted diamond as revealed by XRD. The highly-oriented diamond surface exhibited improved boron dopant incorporation and activation, whereas the crystals showed enhanced carrier electron acceptance and donation, which accelerated the electron transfer during electrochemical redox mediation. The standard rate constant and peak-to-peak separation ΔE for the oxidation and reduction of the Fe(CN)63-/4- and Ru(NH3)62+/3+ redox probes reached ΔE values of only 60.6 and 59.8 mV, respectively. The enriched electrochemical performance of the BDDD electrodes is an advantageous feature allowing them to be applied as ultrasensitive electrodes, demonstrated here by paracetamol determination. The differential pulse voltammetry results revealed an enhanced electrochemical oxidation effect for paracetamol at the deuterium-grown (111)-rich diamond electrode. A single linear range from 1 to 125 μM along with a low detection limit of 0.76 μM were achieved.
... The two-time constants (RC) reflect solid electrolyte interphase resistance (R sei , C sei ) and the charge transfer process which took place at electrode/electrolyte interphase (R ct , C dl ) [36,37]. The Warburg element is related to the diffusion of charged ions from the bulk of electrolyte to the surface of the electrode [38,39]. The individual impedance parameters were determined by complex nonlinear leastsquare fits using the Zview2 software. ...
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Full-text available
Locust Bean Gum (LBG, carob bean gum) was investigated as an environmentally friendly, natural, and water-soluble binder for cathode (LFP) and anode (LTO) in lithium-ion batteries (Li-ion). For the first time, we show LBG as an electrode binder and compare to those of the most popular aqueous (CMC) and conventional (PVDF) binders. The electrodes were characterized using TGA/DSC, the galvanostatic charge–discharge cycle test, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Thermal decomposition of LBG is seen to begin above 250 °C with a weight loss of about 60 wt% observed at 300 °C, which is sufficient to ensure stable performance of the electrode in a Li-ion battery. For CMC, weight loss at the same temperature is about 45%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows that the LFP–LBG system has a similar distribution of conductive carbon black particles to PVDF electrodes. The LTO–LBG electrode has a homogeneous dispersion of the electrode elements and maintains the electrical integrity of the network even after cycling, which leads to fast electron migration between LTO and carbon black particles, as well as ion conductivity between LTO active material and electrolyte, better than in systems with CMC and PVDF. The exchange current density, obtained from impedance spectroscopy fell within a broad range between 10⁻⁴ and 10⁻² mA cm⁻² for the LTO|Li and LFP|Li systems, respectively. The results presented in this paper indicate that LBG is a new promising material to serve as a binder. Graphic abstract
... In contrast to the impedance equation of capacitor C, the expression characterising the impedance (Z) of the CPE contains additional parameter α in the range 0 < α ≤1: Z = Y −1 (iω)-α , where ω is the angular frequency, and Y is the CPE parameter in F s (α -1) . The Warburg element is related to the diffusion of charged ions from the bulk of the electrolyte to the surface of the electrode (Ryl et al., 2014;modified et al., 2012). The value of the charge transfer resistance, taking into account the electrode surface, evaluated by applying the EqEC was 5.2•10 2 Ω•cm 2 for BDD/BCNW_pre, and was an order of magnitude lower than for BDD_pre (5.27•10 3 Ω•cm 2 ) and two orders of magnitude lower than for BCNW_pre (Table 4). ...
Article
Nanomaterials and assemblies of the aforementioned into complex architectures constitute an opportunity to design efficient and selective solutions to widespread and emerging environmental issues. The limited disposal of organic matter in modern landfills generates extremely concentrated leachates characterised by high concentrations of refractory compounds. Conventional biochemical treatment methods are unsuitable, while advanced treatment, such coagulation, reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration can be very costly and generate additional waste. Electrochemical oxidation is an established technique to efficiently mineralise a plethora of recalcitrant pollutants, however the selectivity and efficiency of the process are strongly related to the anode material. For this reason, a nanoarchitectured carbon material has been designed and synthesised to improve the capability of the anode towards the adsorption and decomposition of pollutants. Instead of simple nanostructures, intelligently engineered nanomaterials can come in handy for more efficient advanced treatment techniques. In this study, a carbon nanoarchitecture comprising boron-doped vertically aligned graphene walls (BCNWs) were grown on a boron-doped diamond (BDD) interfacial layer. The results show how the peculiar maze-like morphology and the concurrence of different carbon hybridisations resulted in a higher current exchange density. The BDD performed better for the removal of NH4+ while the BCNW-only sample exhibited a faster deactivation. The BDD/BCNW nanoarchitecture resulted in an enhanced COD removal and a NH4+ removal similar to that of BDD, without the intermediate production of NO2− and NO3−.
Article
In this study, we analyze the impedance spectroscopic characteristics of solution-processed amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (a-IGZO) metal-semiconductor-metal diodes adopting aluminum and heavily doped Si electrodes. The Cole–Cole plots extracted from the capacitance-voltage ( C – V ) measurements exhibited variations depending on the voltage bias polarity and were simplified using two types of equivalent circuits. These circuits include the effects of oxidation near the aluminum electrode, tunneling at the metal/a-IGZO layer interface from the tunneling diode model, and the presence of native oxide. The thickness dependence of the C – V measurements indicates that oxidation of the Al electrodes and the quantum mechanical distribution of the electron density dominantly affected the C – V results at the Al/IGZO interface.
Article
The long cycle life stability jointly with high energy density are limiting broader feasible applications of supercapacitors. The novel diamondized titania nanocomposite supercapacitors deliver high power and energy densities along with high capacitance retention rates. Supercapacitor electrodes were fabricated utilizing a combination of Ti anodization followed by chemical vapor deposition resulting in simultaneous growth of complex BDD/TiC interface. The first-principles simulations along with extended molecular investigations conducted by BF-TEM and HR-SEM revealed that capacitive phenomena are delivered by nanoporous, multi-faceted, and substoichiometric TiC, forming clusters at the lateral surfaces of titania nanotubes. Next, TiC mechanical stability and effective charge transfer electrode-electrolyte are efficiently provided by highly conductive although discontinuous BDD overlayer. The assembled two-electrode supercapacitor devices exhibited capacitance 15 mF cm−2, which were stable at 0.1 V s−1 scan rate in various neutral aqueous electrolytes. The composite TiO2NT-BDD supercapacitors showed outstanding long-term cycling stability with capacitance retention of 93% after 100,000 chronopotentiometry cycles verified by post-aging cyclic voltammetry tests. In parallel, the energy and power density calculated at a current density of 3 A g-1 achieved levels as high as 14.74 Wh kg-1 and 24.68 kW kg-1, revealing the superior performance of the assembled devices compared to recently reported supercapacitors.
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Full-text available
Boron-doped diamond (BDD) thin films, as one kind of electrode materials, are superior to conventional carbon-based materials including carbon paste, porous carbon, glassy carbon (GC), carbon nanotubes in terms of high stability, wide potential window, low background current, and good biocompatibility. Electrochemical biosensor based on BDD electrodes have attracted extensive interests due to the superior properties of BDD electrodes and the merits of biosensors, such as specificity, sensitivity, and fast response. Electrochemical reactions perform at the interface between electrolyte solutions and the electrodes surfaces, so the surface structures and properties of the BDD electrodes are important for electrochemical detection. In this paper, the recent advances of BDD electrodes with different surfaces including nanostructured surface and chemically modified surface, for the construction of various electrochemical biosensors, were described.
Article
Full-text available
Spatially resolved optical emission spectroscopy (SR-OES) was used to investigate microwave activated H2/Ar/CH4 plasma under conditions of the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR). The chemistry and composition of the gas phase were studied using self-designed fibre-optic system with echelle type spectrometer during CVD deposition of polycrystalline diamond. One-dimensional intensity profiles of the main species were collected along the vertical axis of chamber. The dominant species in the flux, originating from excited hydrogen and hydrocarbons, were identified as H, H+, CH and CH+; they are crucial for the diamond deposition process. The effect of ECR on the spatial distribution of H2 and CH4 dissociation profiles was studied in depth. The influence of processing parameters (gas flow rates, input power, pressure and magnetic field level) on species excitation as a function of the distance above substrate was asessed. The obtained data can be used for the ECR system optimization.
Book
The book gives an overview on the current development status of synthetic diamond films and their applications. Its initial part is devoted to discuss the different types of conductive diamond electrodes that have been synthesized, their preparation methods, and their chemical properties and characterization. The electrochemical properties of diamond films in different scientific areas, with special attention in electroanalysis, are further described. Different strategies to modify these electrodes are also discussed as important technologies with ability to change their electrochemical characteristics for a more specific electroanalytical use. The second part of the book deals with practical applications of diamond electrodes to the industry, organic electrosynthesis, electrochemical energy technology, and biotechnology. Special emphasis is made on the properties of these materials for the production of strong oxidizing species allowing the fast mineralization of organics and their use for water disinfection and decontamination. Recent biotechnological development on biosensors, microelectrodes, and nanostructured electrodes, as well as on neurochemistry, is also presented. The book will be written by a large number of internationally recognized experts and comprises 24 chapters describing the characteristics and theoretical fundaments of the different electrochemical uses and applications of synthetic diamond films.
Article
The mechanism of electron transfer across the boron-doped diamond electrode/electrolyte interface is investigated using impedance spectroscopy. At an oxygenated electrode surface, two time constants are observed in the impedance plots. The results are discussed in terms of surface-state-mediated electron transfer.
Article
This research investigated the anodic stability of boron-doped ultrananocrystalline diamond (BD-UNCD) film electrodes on a variety of substrates (Si, Ta, Nb, W, and Ti) at a current density of 1 A cm−2. At an applied charge of 100 A h cm−2, measurable BD-UNCD film wear was not observed using SEM cross-sectional measurements. However, anodic treatment of the electrodes resulted in surface oxidation and film delamination, which caused substantial changes to the electrochemical properties of the electrodes. The substrate roughness, substrate electroactivity, and compactness of the substrate oxide were key parameters that affected film adhesion, and the primary mechanism of electrode failure was delamination of the BD-UNCD film. Substrate materials whose oxides had a larger coefficient of thermal expansion relative to the reduced metal substrates resulted in film delamination. The approximate substrate stability followed the order of: Ta > Si > Nb > W ≫ Ti.
Article
In this study, we investigate the influence of boron doping level on film quality and stability of boron doped diamond (BDD) film deposited on titanium substrate (Ti/BDD) using microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition system. The results demonstrate that high boron concentration will improve the film conductivity, whereas the diamond film quality and adhesion are deteriorated obviously. The increase of total internal stress in the film and the variation of components within the interlayer will weaken the coating adhesion. According to the analysis of electrode inactivation mechanism, high boron doping level will be harmful to the electrode stability in the view of diamond quality and adhesion deterioration. In this study, 5000 ppm B/C ratio in the reaction gas is optimized for Ti/BDD electrode preparation.
Article
In this study the efficiency of electrochemical oxidation of aromatic pollutants, such as reactive dyes, at boron-doped diamond on silicon (Si/BDD) electrodes was investigated. The level of [B]/[C] ratio which is effective for the degradation and mineralization of selected aromatic pollutants, and the impact of [B]/[C] ratio on the crystalline structure, layer conductivity and relative sp3/sp2 coefficient of a BDD electrode were also studied. The thin film microcrystalline electrodes have been deposited on highly doped silicon substrates via MW PE CVD. Si/BDD electrodes were synthesized for different [B]/[C] ratios of the gas phase. Mechanical and chemical stability of the electrodes was achieved for the microcrystalline layer with relatively high sp3/sp2 band ratio. Layer morphology and crystallite size distribution were analyzed by SEM. The resistivity of BDD electrodes was studied using four-point probe measurements. The relative sp3/sp2 band ratios were determined by deconvolution of Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectra. The efficiency of degradation and mineralization of the reactive azo dye rubin F-2B was estimated based on the absorbance measurements at 545 nm. The influence of commonly used electrolytes NaCl and Na2SO4 on the dye removal efficiency was also investigated. The results suggest that, in general, the oxidation occurs indirectly at the anode through generation of hydroxyl radicals •OH, which react with the dye in a very fast and non-selective manner. In NaCl electrolyte the dye was also decomposed by more selective, active chlorine species (Cl2, HOCl). However the efficiency of this process in BDD depended on the electrode's doping level. Higher amounts of dopant on the surface of BDD resulted in the higher efficiency of dye removal in both electrolytes.
Article
The boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes with different boron concentrations have been tested as electrode material for sulphamerazine (SRM) oxidation in water solution. An investigation of the electrode morphology and molecular structure was carried out using high resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy. Electro-chemical results showed clearly that the kinetics and efficiency of sulphonamide oxidation were dependent on the amount of boron incorporated in a diamond film. The mechanism of sulphonamide oxidation was also analysed by cycle voltammo-grams and by identifying oxidative species (• OH radicals) which take part in the degradation process. The aging of the material during the operation was also studied.
Article
In this work, we have used X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to investigate the nature of surface adsorbed species and their sensitivity to the boron concentration [B] in two sets of as-grown diamond films: homoepitaxial {111} and polycrystalline. These sets cover each one at least three of the four doping ranges: low doping (5 x 10(16)<[B] <1.5 x 10(19) cm(-3)), high doping (1.5 x 10(19)<[B] <3 x 10(20) cm(-3)), heavy doping (3 x 10(20)<[B]<2 x 10(21) cm(-3)), and phase separation ([B]>2 x 10(21) cm(-3)). The results are compared to those we have previously obtained on (100) homoepitaxial films in the same doping ranges. A detailed description of both the nature and the relative concentrations of the main surface chemical species on every set of films is reported. Besides the usual CHx bonds on the diamond surface, the following oxygen-related groups: Ether (C-O-C), hydroxyl (C-OH, only on polycrystalline films), carbonyl (>C=O) and carboxyl (HO-C=O) have been found on the surface of grown diamond films, upon spontaneous oxidation under air (no oxidation treatment has been applied). The evolution of each surface chemical group according to the boron concentration in the films is.