We have used sputtering and electron beam evaporation to deposit thin films of amorphous carbon on electrodes. The coated electrodes exhibited good electrocatalytic properties, showed low overpotentials and appreciable current densities when tested in iodine/iodide, bromine/bromide, and ferricyanide/ferrocyanide solutions. A thin coating of 500Å of amorphous carbon acted as a corrosion barrier under anodic operation for ten months in a concentrated bromine/bromide solution. Photoelectrodes of the type amorphous carbon (20Å)/aluminum oxide had operational lifetimes of up to several weeks, and exhibited efficiencies of 7% under AM 1 illumination.