Investigation on the electrocatalytic characteristics of SnO₂ electrodes with nanocoating prepared by electrodeposition method

SnO₂ electrodes have many advantages in the degradation of toxic or bio-refractory organic wastewater, and SnO₂ is a kind of anode material which has the potential to be widely used. Electrocatalytic efficiency and service life of TiSnO₂ electrodes are key factors that can influence its applications. In order to enhance the electrocatalytic characteristics of TiSnO₂ electrodes, a type of electrocatalytic electrode with nanocoating was prepared by direct current (DC) electrodeposition method and thermal oxidation technique. With phenol as the model pollutant, the electrochemical degradation efficiencies of electrodes with nanocoating and non-nanocoating were investigated. It was demonstrated that the electrodes with nanocoating have higher efficiency than that of electrodes with non-nanocoating. The degradation time was decreased 33.3% for the same amount of phenol's degradation. The crystal structure of surface coating, the micrograph of electrode surface and the chemical environment of Sn and Sb in the electrode surface were analyzed with the help of XRD, SEM and XPS. The results showed that the surface of electrode was mainly SnO₂ crystal with rutile structure and that much adsorbed oxygen in nanocoating was the dominant factor for enhancing the electrocatalytic characteristics.