Nanocrystalline diamond electrodes for photo-electrochemical applications: CO2 reduction and degradation of organic contaminants in water

To achieve efficient photoelectrochemical conversion of CO2 into useful chemicals and oxidation of organic pollutants in water, development of new approaches is required. By coupling silicon photoelectrodes and nanocrystalline boron-doped diamond electrodes, sunlightdriven degradation of organic pollutants along with reduction of CO2 in water can be achieved. In such a system, electrically conductive, optically transparent nanocrystalline boron-doped diamond layer grown from inexpensive precursors serves as a protection barrier against oxidation of silicon photoelectrodes, while allowing for efficient charge carrier transfer to a liquid media for electrochemical oxidation or reduction processes. To achieve this objective, physical, chemical and photo-electrochemical properties of nanocrystalline boron-doped diamond need to be systematically studied.