Diamond-like carbon layers grown by electrochemical method–structural study

A simple method of production of diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin films on various substrates by means of electrolysis of liquid hydrocarbons under ambient conditions is described in the paper. The amount of sp3-hybridized carbon clusters within deposited films is a key parameter of their structural quality, and is investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy. Obtained results indicate that although the electrolysis generally leads to granular DLC films contaminated with graphitic inclusions, providing current density larger than 520 mA cm−2 at 1700 V, sp3-rich microcrystals with sharp edges can be found as well. Micro-Raman spectroscopic data strongly suggest that these microcrystals are minute diamonds, which eventually opens up a new perspective for a low-temperature synthesis of diamond-related materials.