Chlorine evolution reaction at Ti/(RuO2+Co3O4) electrodes

A systematic investigation of the mechanistic and electrocatalytic properties of the chlorine evolution reaction, ClER, on mixed rutile/spinel oxides of nominal composition Ti/[RuO2(x)+Co3O4(1-x)] was done. Electrodes were prepared using the thermal decomposition procedure (Tcalc. = 470oC; tcalc. = 1h), with x varied between 0 and 1, changed in 0.1 steps. Kinetics were studied recording quasi-stationary current-potential curves and reaction order determined with respect to H+ and Cl-. A constant Tafel slope of about 33 mV was found for the 0 - 80 mol% RuO2 concentration interval, increasing to 40 mV for higher RuO2 contents. Experimental data support the mechanism originally proposed by Erenburg et al. for the ClER. The edge effect exerts an influence on the electronic transfer coefficient values. Analysis of the electrocatalytic activity reveals an increase in the apparent electrocatalytic activity for the mixed oxides.