Comparison of morphology, stability and electrocatalytic properties of Ru0.3Ti0.7O2 and Ru0.3Ti0.4Ir0.3O2 coated titanium anodes

This paper presents the comparative study of two dimensionally stable anodes (DSA®) of nominal composition Ti/Ru0.3Ti0.7O2 and Ti/Ru0.3Ti0.4Ir0.3O2, prepared by thermal decomposition of the chloride precursor mixtures at 450°C. The materials were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry and Tafel measurements to obtain information about their surface and electrocatalytic properties towards Cl2 evolution reaction. The stability of the prepared anodes was investigated under accelerated conditions. It has been observed that the coating surface with 30% mole IrO2 possesses more compact structure with less cracks. Furthermore, it had excellent electrocatalytic activity for the chlorine evolution. Accelerated stability tests showed long lifetime for Ti/Ru0.3Ti0.4Ir0.3O2 electrode. On the other hand, besides the excellent improvement of catalytic activity, the stability of the ternary oxide electrode increases compared to the binary oxide one. The deactivation rate appeared to be a consequence of the different morphology and synergetic effects of the prepared coatings.