Influence of iridium-tantalum interlayers on the properties of ruthenium-iridium-tin metal oxide anodes

Abstract

The intermediate layer could not only delay the passivation of the titanium matrix and prolong the service life of the metal oxide anode but also directly affected the crystallization behavior and crystal structure of its surface catalytic layer, thus affecting the electrocatalytic activity of the anode. This paper’s thermal decomposition method prepared the ruthenium iridium tin metal oxide anodes with different layers of the iridium-tantalum interlayer. XRD and SEM were used to characterize the prepared electrode. Cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, accelerated life test et al were used to analyze the electrode performance. The results showed that the electrochemical roughness increased, the volt-ampere capacity increased, the charge transfer resistance decreased, and the electrocatalytic activity increased after adding the iridium-tantalum intermediate layer. The anode stability was greatly improved, and the accelerated life was prolonged. Among them, the greatest changes were observed when one iridium-tantalum interlayer was added, with the electrochemical roughness increasing from 283.33 % to 616.67 %, the volt-ampere charge increasing from 25.11 mC·cm−2 to 47.24 mC·cm−2, the charge transfer resistance decreasing from 1.754 Ω·cm2 to 0.684 Ω·cm2, and the enhanced electrolysis lifetime extending from 288 h to 504 h. Both the anode’s service life and electrocatalytic performance were greatly increased.