Structure of a-C:N:H prepared from ammonia

J.K. Walters, D.M. Pickup, and R.J. Newport

School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NR, United Kingdom

A range of nitrogen-doped amorphous hydrogenated carbon samples (a-C:N_x:H, where x = 3 at.% and x = 7 at.%) have been studied using neutron diffraction, inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy to obtain detailed information about their atomic-scale structure, particularly the bonding environment of the hydrogen. The results show that the overall atomic scale network structure of the two samples is very similar; however, the hydrogen-bonding sites alter subtly as the nitrogen content of the samples is increased.