From micro to nanocrystalline diamond grown on 3D porous titanium matrix

This study aims to give an overview on the growth process and characterization of electrodes produced by coating three-dimensional (3D) titanium (Ti) substrates with diamond films. Powder metallurgy (P/M) was the technique used to obtain the desired and controlled 3D porosity in the Ti matrix. As an important role, in the first place, the effect of a hydrogenation process on the 3D Ti substrate during the diamond growth is presented and discussed. In addition, a detailed description was done about the main growth parameters to obtain these 3D diamond electrodes in the micro and nano scale. The experimental parameters analyzed were the pressure inside the reactor, the methane and the argon gas concentrations, and the temperature at the substrate surface. Scanning electron microscopy, Grazing incident X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy were the techniques used to characterize all the diamond films in the point of view of their morphology, structure, and sp(2)/sp(3) ratio. Finally, the results concerning the electrochemical characterization of these 3D micro and nanocrystalline diamond electrodes are discussed.