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The advantages of polycrystalline boron doped diamond (pBDD) are many when\ud compared to other electrode materials in the field of electrochemistry. The superior\ud properties of pBDD has generated substantial interest over the last 10 years,\ud accelerating diamond to the cutting edge of electroanalytical studies, which benefit\ud from lower levels of detection when utilising pBDD. The impressive chemical\ud properties of pBDD allow it to be used in hostile environments where extreme\ud temperature, pressure and pH may exist, affording researchers a means to create\ud devices and sensors that could not be made with other materials. In addition pBDD\ud also possesses extreme physical properties, notably its exceptionally high thermal\ud conductivity which allows rapid transfer of heat energy. Currently, pBDD is widely\ud used as an electrode material by many institutions, the production and employment of\ud this material varies considerably. It is therefore of great importance to understand this\ud material on a fundamental level, utilising experimental procedures that yield\ud reproducible results.\ud The aims of this thesis are as follows: to suitably characterise a series of pBDD\ud electrodes and elucidate which attributes afford the best performance, to enhance the\ud electrochemical response of pBDD with temperature effects by exploiting its high\ud thermal conductivity. A series of electrochemical, spectroscopic and electrical\ud experiments are performed to assess different pBDD samples, which contain varying\ud amounts of boron and non-diamond carbon impurities. The effect of electrode heating\ud is explored. This is performed with a laser light source that allows rapid heating and\ud cooling of the pBDD electrode, leaving the bulk solution temperature relatively\ud unchanged. Enhancements are seen at elevated temperatures for several redox couples, showing the feasibility of using laser electrode heating with pBDD. In the final\ud chapter, elevated temperatures through electrode heating of an all diamond structure\ud are used to enhance the deposition and subsequent stripping of lead in solution