Preparation and characterization of Dy doped Ti-base SnO₂/Sb electro-catalytic electrodes

Dysprosium was selected as a promoter for Ti-base SnO₂/Sb electrode to improve the electro-catalytic ability in wastewater treatment. Dy doped SnO₂/Sb electrodes with different compositions were prepared by pyrolysis and were characterized by SEM, EDS and XRD. The degradation ability of prepared electrodes was also investigated using phenol as a model pollutant. The preparation parameters, including temperature and Dy doping content, were studied in detail. The optimal pyrolysis temperature, Dy doping content were 650°C, about 1%, respectively. Doped SnO₂ material with well crystallinity favors completely decomposition of phenol. Compared with SnO ₂/Sb electrode, the unit cell of SnO₂ expands slightly due to the possible replacement of larger Dy³⁺ for Sn⁴⁺ at these sites. The average size of SnO₂ nano-grains on electrode surface was smaller for Dy doped SnO₂/Sb electrode, which implies a potential improvement in catalytic performance. Dy and Sb atoms were found to be enriched on the electrode surface layer when Dy was introduced and high content of Dy was not in favor of electrode performance.