Hydroxide Ion Oxidation in Aqueous Solutions Using Boron-Doped Diamond Electrodes

The electrochemical oxidation behavior of hydroxide ions at the surface of boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes is presented. The hydroxide ion oxidation behavior was found to be affected by the surface conditions of the BDD electrode. Over the NaOH concentration range of 0.5–10 mM, a well-defined voltammetric wave attributed to hydroxide ion oxidation was observed at ∼1.25 V versus a Ag/AgCl reference electrode when using an anodically oxidized BDD (AO-BDD) electrode, while it was observed at around ∼1.15 V when a cathodically reduced BDD (CR-BDD) electrode was used. Although the hydroxide ion oxidation profiles were slightly different for the AO-BDD and CR-BDD electrodes, the peak currents was each found to have linear relationships with the NaOH concentration over the same range

Hydroxide Ion Oxidation in Aqueous Solutions Using Boron-Doped Diamond Electrodes

The electrochemical oxidation behavior of hydroxide ions at the surface of boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes is presented. The hydroxide ion oxidation behavior was found to be affected by the surface conditions of the BDD electrode. Over the NaOH concentration range of 0.5–10 mM, a well-defined voltammetric wave attributed to hydroxide ion oxidation was observed at ∼1.25 V versus a Ag/AgCl reference electrode when using an anodically oxidized BDD (AO-BDD) electrode, while it was observed at around ∼1.15 V when a cathodically reduced BDD (CR-BDD) electrode was used. Although the hydroxide ion oxidation profiles were slightly different for the AO-BDD and CR-BDD electrodes, the peak currents was each found to have linear relationships with the NaOH concentration over the same range

Sluggish Electron Transfer of Oxygen-Terminated Moderately Boron-Doped Diamond Electrode Induced by Large Interfacial Capacitance between a Diamond and Silicon Interface

Boron-doped diamond (BDD) has tremendous potential for use as an electrode material with outstanding characteristics. The substrate material of BDD can affect the electrochemical properties of BDD electrodes due to the different junction structures of BDD and the substrate materials. However, the BDD/substrate interfacial properties have not been clarified. In this study, the electrochemical behavior of BDD electrodes with different boron-doping levels (0.1% and 1.0% B/C ratios) synthesized on Si, W, Nb, and Mo substrates was investigated. Potential band diagrams of the BDD/substrate interface were proposed to explain different junction structures and electrochemical behaviors. Oxygen-terminated BDD with moderate boron-doping levels exhibited sluggish electron transfer induced by the large capacitance generated at the BDD/Si interface. These findings provide a fundamental understanding of diamond electrochemistry and insight into the selection of suitable substrate materials for practical applications of BDD electrodes

Long-Term Continuous Conversion of CO₂ to Formic Acid Using Boron-Doped Diamond Electrodes

The long-term durability of boron-doped diamond electrodes (BDD) used continuously in the electrochemical conversion of CO₂ to formic acid was investigated. Although the Faradaic efficiency (FE) for the production of formic acid decreased with increasing electrolysis time, the FE was easily recovered by electrochemical oxidation of the BDD electrodes in H₂SO₄, Na₂SO₄ or K₂SO₄ solutions. For practical application, the long-term production of formic acid using BDD electrodes can be successfully accomplished just by successive polarity reversal of plus and minus terminals. Furthermore, at a current density of −20 mA cm^–2, the rate of production reached 328 μmol h^–1 cm^–2, which is the highest value ever obtained using plate electrodes. Consequently, we found that BDD electrodes are ideal for industrial application of CO₂ reduction

First Principles Calculation Study on Surfaces and Water Interfaces of Boron-Doped Diamond

We investigated water interfaces of boron-doped diamond (BDD) terminated by hydrogen, oxygen, and hydroxyl groups by using density functional theory (DFT)-based molecular dynamics to elucidate the electrochemical behaviors of the as-grown and oxidized BDD electrodes. The reversible outer-sphere electron transfer on the as-grown electrode and the irreversibility on the oxidized electrode, observed in the experiment, are well explained by the BDD band position and subsurface band bending, which depend on the termination and interfacial dipoles. The reductive character of the H-terminated BDD is found, while the interface covered by the carbonyl oxygen is clearly oxidative. The redox character of the hydroxyl termination depends on the lateral hydrogen bonding network among the termination groups and is rather oxidative at the water interface. We also examined the preference of the boron position in the diamond and the stability of boron pairs and clusters. It is suggested that the wide distribution of the single boron dopants is crucial to the BDD conductivity, against the tendency of clustering. These results give novel atomistic aspects of the termination and the boron doping effects on the BDD electrodes, which is useful for further exploration of the efficient electrochemical applications of BDD

A Study on Electrolytic Corrosion of Boron-Doped Diamond Electrodes when Decomposing Organic Compounds

Electrolytic corrosion of boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes after applying a high positive potential to decompose organic compounds in aqueous solution was studied. Scanning electron microscopy images, Raman spectra, and glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy revealed that relatively highly boron-doped domains were primarily corroded and relatively low boron-doped domains remained after electrolysis. The corrosion due to electrolysis was observed especially in aqueous solutions of acetic acid or propionic acid, while it was not observed in other organic compounds such as formic acid, glucose, and methanol. Electron spin resonance measurements after electrolysis in the acetic acid solution revealed the generation of methyl radicals on the BDD electrodes. Here, the possible mechanisms for the corrosion are discussed. Dangling bonds may be formed due to abstraction of OH groups from C–OH functional groups by methyl radicals generated on the surface of the BDD electrodes. As a result, the sp³ diamond structure would be converted to the sp² carbon structure, which can be easily etched. Furthermore, to prevent electrolytic corrosion during electrolysis, both the current density and the pH condition in the aqueous solution were optimized. At low current densities or high pH, the BDD electrodes were stable without electrolytic corrosion even in the acetic acid aqueous solution

Co-reactant-on-Demand ECL: Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence by the in Situ Production of S₂O₈^2– at Boron-Doped Diamond Electrodes

A novel <i>co-reactant-free</i> electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) system is developed where Ru­(bpy)₃²⁺ emission is obtained on boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes. The method exploits the unique ability of BDD to operate at very high oxidation potential in aqueous solutions and to promote the conversion of inert SO₄^2– into the reactive co-reactant S₂O₈^2–. This novel procedure is rather straightforward, not requiring any particular electrode geometry, and since the co-reactant is only generated in situ, the interference with biological samples is minimized. The underlying mechanism is similar to that of the Ru­(bpy)₃²⁺/S₂O₈^2– system; however, the intensity of the emitted signal increases linearly with [SO₄^2–] up to ∼0.6 M, with possible implications for analytical uses of the proposed procedure

Boron-Doped Diamond as a Quasi-Reference Electrode

As a working electrode, boron-doped diamond (BDD) has been studied in detail in electrochemical processes because of its superior electrochemical properties. However, these characteristics have rarely been mentioned when BDD is used as a quasi-reference electrode (QRE). Herein, we conducted a systematic investigation on BDD electrodes, with different boron-doping levels (1 and 0.1%) and different surface terminations (hydrogen and oxygen) for their application as a QRE. A BDD electrode with 1% boron and a hydrogen-terminated surface achieved the best stability. Its open-circuit potential (OCP) exhibited less than 100 mV of potential drift over 6000 s and showed a minuscule half-wave potential difference (E1/2) of 0.0037 V in 0.1 mM K3[Fe(CN)6]/1 M KCl solution before and after the OCP measurement. Based on these observations, anions are found to contribute to the potential, which we preliminarily speculate as related to the capacitance caused by electrostatic adsorption on the positively charged hydrogen-terminated surface. The repeatability of measurement was verified through continuous cyclic voltammetry tests in 0.1 mM K3[Fe(CN)6]/1 M KCl, showing a maximum E1/2 difference of 0.042 V. The contribution of the redox couples was excluded, and the repeatability was considered to originate from its surface stability. Finally, a linear response of the optimized BDD as a QRE was validated (R2 > 0.99) by determination of free chlorine and dopamine concentrations, respectively. These results consolidate the existing fundamental research on BDD electrodes and promote the possibility of its application as a QRE in harsh environments or in vivo biological monitoring

Surface Hydrogenation of Boron-Doped Diamond Electrodes by Cathodic Reduction

Boron-doped diamond (BDD) has attracted much attention as a promising electrode material especially for electrochemical sensing systems, because it has excellent properties such as a wide potential window and low background current. It is known that the electrochemical properties of BDD electrodes are very sensitive to the surface termination such as to whether it is hydrogen- or oxygen-terminated. Pretreating BDD electrodes by cathodic reduction (CR) to hydrogenate the surface has been widely used to achieve high sensitivity. However, little is known about the effects of the CR treatment conditions on surface hydrogenation. In this Article, we report on a systematic study of CR treatments that can achieve effective surface hydrogenation. As a result, we found that the surface hydrogenation could be improved by applying a more negative potential in a lower pH solution. This is because hydrogen atoms generated from protons in the CR treatment contribute to the surface hydrogenation. After CR treatments, BDD surface could be hydrogenated not completely but sufficiently to achieve high sensitivity for electrochemical sensing. In addition, we confirmed that hydrogenation with high repeatability could be achieved

Facet-Dependent Temporal and Spatial Changes in Boron-Doped Diamond Film Electrodes due to Anodic Corrosion

The progression of corrosion in polycrystalline boron-doped diamond (BDD) thin film electrode is explored as the electrode undergoes high-current density anodic treatments with organic compounds. Micro-Raman spectroscopy and spectral mapping indicate that anodic corrosion is initiated by the conversion of sp³ diamond to amorphous sp² carbon at the surface, which are then removed after longer anodic treatment. Polarized Raman analysis reveals that corrosion-induced changes on the surface are specific to (100)-grain facets and (111)-grain edges. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic measurements suggest that carbonyl groups consequently form on these specific sites and act as an intermediate toward the etching of the surface. This process exposes and subsequently removes the subsurface boron atoms, thus reducing the doping density. The observed crystal grain orientation dependence of the corrosion process provides new insights toward a better understanding of degradation in BDD electrodes