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 O2 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.