Chemical vapor deposition of SnO2 coatings on Ti plates for the preparation of electrocatalytic anodes

SnO2 coatings have been deposited by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on Ti plates using SnEt4 and O-2 as reactive gas mixture. The thickness, morphology and microstructure of these coatings are controlled by the growth conditions. The deposition process has been used for the preparation of Ti/IrOx/SnO2 electrodes that were tested for the anodic oxidation of organic pollutants in industrial wastewater. These anodes exhibit a high overpotential for oxygen evolution and a good efficiency for the elimination of total organic carbon (TOC) from wastewater. Electrochemical impedance measurements were used to characterize the activity of the interface SnO2/aqueous media as a function of time during the oxidation process. The influence of the grain size, thickness and surface pre-treatment of the Ti substrate on the electrocatalytic properties is discussed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.