Effect of current density on the performance of electrodeposited Ti/Sb–SnO2 electrode from methanesulfonate medium

Abstract

A series of Ti/Sb–SnO2 electrodes were prepared by direct current electrodeposition. The changes of catalytic properties of Ti/Sb–SnO2 electrodes prepared at different current densities were studied. The surface morphology and catalytic performance of Ti/Sb–SnO2 electrodes were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The oxygen evolution potentials of the electrodes were measured by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) at the same time. The results show that the increase of the current density can improve the polarization and the electrolysis reaction of water, changing the surface morphology of Ti/Sb–SnO2 electrodes. When the current density increases to 30 mA/cm2, the porous structure is formed on the electrode surface, which provides more active sites for the Ti/Sb–SnO2 electrode surface and improves the catalytic ability of the electrode greatly. However, when the current density continues to increase, the catalytic ability of the electrode will decrease. This is because the excessively high current density will lead to the loose structure of the electrode surface, which is not conducive to the improvement of the catalytic efficiency of Ti/Sb–SnO2 electrodes.