Attempt to deposit carbon nitride films by electrodeposition from an organic liquid

Abstract

Carbon nitride films were synthesized by electrodeposition from an organic liquid on silicon substrates at temperatures lower than 80 °C. The N/C ratio in the films is about 0.25. The x-ray diffraction measurement indicates that the film contains some ${\mathrm{C}}_3{\mathrm{N}}_4$ polycrystalline phases. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy analyses suggest the presence of both single and double carbon-nitrogen bonds. The deposition mechanisms are also discussed. Our paper shows that the electrodeposition technique may hold some promise for synthesizing the metastable compound ${\mathrm{C}}_3{\mathrm{N}}_4$ in the liquid phase.