Electro-Catalytic Performance of Composite Oxide Sn-Sb-Mn/Ceramic Particle Electrode System

Abstract

Sn-Sb-Mn/ceramic particle electrodes were prepared by a thermal decomposition technique. The morphology, crystal phase composition, BET surface area and pore size distribution of the electrodes were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and N(2) physical adsorption techniques, respectively. The properties of oxygen evolution at the three-dimensional electrode system were studied and the electrocatalytic property was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The electrochemical degradation of artificial phenol wastewater was conducted in a multi-electrode reactor. Results showed that the catalytic layer of as-prepared ceramic particle electrodes had large BET surfaces and abundant micropores, which were beneficial for the electrocatalytic reaction. Results also indicated that the electrocatalytic degradation occurred where oxygen evolution took place. The multi-electrode system was far better at degrading phenol than a two-dimensional electrode system. The removal ratio of phenol and total organic carbon (TOC) were 92.3% and 66.7%, respectively. This study demonstrates that a three-dimensional electrode system exhibits excellent electrocatalytic performance.