Electrochemical behavior of amorphous metal-silicon-carbon nanocomposites based on titanium or tungsten nanophase

Electrode behavior of nanocomposite films containing titanium-or tungsten-based conducting nanophase embedded in dielectric silicon-carbon matrix, deposited onto glassceramics substrate, is studied by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. As the films' resistivity decreases, their electrochemical behavior gradually changes from that of "poor conductor" to the nearly metal-like behavior. In particular, the differential capacitance increases, the charge transfer in a model redox system [Fe(CN)(6)](3-/4-) accelerates, which may be explained by the increasing number of metal-containing clusters at the film/electrolyte solution interface. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.