Diamond and Carbon Coatings for Electrodes, Bipolar Plates and Wear Resistance

This community develops diamond and carbon-based thin films and coatings for electrochemical electrodes, fuel cell bipolar plates, and high-wear mechanical components.

The work centers on synthesizing boron-doped diamond, diamond-like carbon, and amorphous carbon films using chemical vapor deposition and magnetron sputtering. These materials are applied as electrodes for electrochemical sensing and energy conversion, and as protective coatings on stainless steel and titanium bipolar plates to mitigate corrosion in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. A significant portion of the research also addresses tribological performance, specifically friction and wear resistance in industrial and biomedical environments. The recurring focus is on tailoring the surface chemistry and structural properties of these carbon allotropes to enhance conductivity, durability, and chemical stability under aggressive operating conditions.

The community is most prominent in boron research, accounting for 2.6% of all tracked boron papers, and in carbon research, representing 1.2% of that element's literature. It also contributes to tungsten and molybdenum research, with smaller shares of 0.7% and 0.5% respectively.

The group comprises 4,724 papers, publishing primarily in Diamond and Related Materials, Carbon, and Surface and Coatings Technology.

Recent work includes laser processing of polycrystalline diamond, friction mechanisms of diamond-like carbon films in various atmospheres, and the formation of nanodiamonds via electron-beam activation.

Papers behind this description

Raman spectroscopy analysis of disordered and amorphous carbon materials: A review of empirical correlations — Carbon, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.carbon.2025.120214
Insights into irradiation-affected structural evolution and mechanical behavior of amorphous carbon — Acta Materialia, 2024 — doi:10.1016/j.actamat.2024.120424
Comprehensive review of bipolar plates for proton exchange membrane fuel cells with a focus on materials, processing methods and characteristics — International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.02.300
Boron-Doped Diamond Electrodes: Fundamentals for Electrochemical Applications — Accounts of Chemical Research, 2022 — doi:10.1021/acs.accounts.2c00597
CVD diamond processing tools: A review — Journal of Advanced Research, 2024 — doi:10.1016/j.jare.2024.09.013
A Comprehensive Review of Stainless-Steel Bipolar Plate Coatings and Their Role in Mitigating Corrosion in Aggressive Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells Environments — Chemical Engineering Journal, 2024 — doi:10.1016/j.cej.2024.152662
Ultrahard bulk amorphous carbon from collapsed fullerene — Nature, 2021 — doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03882-9
Electrochemical performance of metal nitride coated titanium bipolar plate for proton exchange membrane water electrolyser — Journal of Power Sources, 2024 — doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2024.234052
Multi-functional bioactive silver- and copper-doped diamond-like carbon coatings for medical implants — Acta Biomaterialia, 2023 — doi:10.1016/j.actbio.2023.06.037
Applications of diamond films: a review — Functional Diamond, 2024 — doi:10.1080/26941112.2024.2410160
Corrosion behavior of metallic coatings on titanium bipolar plates of proton exchange membrane water electrolysis — International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2024 — doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2024.03.242
Ultrafast planarization of large-scale polycrystalline diamond by microsecond laser processing: Investigation of polishing mechanisms and impact on the material — Applied Surface Science, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.apsusc.2025.164282
Impact of acid etching on surfaces and near-surface region in nitrogen plasma terminated polycrystalline diamond — Diamond and Related Materials, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.diamond.2025.112623
Multi-pass scratch properties of titanium and vanadium-doped diamond-like carbon coatings applied on commercially pure titanium under different tribological environments: Dry, bio-aqueous, and lubricated conditions — Materials Letters, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.matlet.2025.138913
Anisotropic ablation mechanism of single crystal diamond surface in ultrafast laser processing: A molecular dynamics study — Optics & Laser Technology, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113171
Graphene–amorphous carbon with interwoven networks for enhanced strength — Nature Communications, 2025 — doi:10.1038/s41467-025-65877-8
Titanium and titanium compounds in the bipolar plate/gas diffusion layer system of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells: manufacturing methods, surface treatments and properties — RSC Applied Interfaces, 2026 — doi:10.1039/d5lf00363f