Preparation and characterization of antimony-doped tin dioxide electrodes. 3. XPS and SIMS characterization.

Several antimony- and antimony-platinum-doped tin dioxide electrodes supported on titanium have been characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for surface analysis and secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) for in-depth profile analysis. The surface analysis of the freshly prepared electrodes indicates that the Sb/Sn ratio in the electrode surface is similar to the nominal composition in the precursor solution, but the amount of Pt is higher than this nominal composition. The presence of platinum also produces the segregation of Sb near the electrode surface. The anodic polarization treatment of the electrode produces changes in its chemical state. The growth of a passivating hydroxide in the outer layer is the main cause of the deactivation of Ti/SnO2-Sb electrodes. The introduction of platinum in the layer prevents the hydroxide formation and modifies the deactivation mechanism of the electrode. The growth of an isolating TiO2 between the support and the active oxide produces the deactivation of Ti/SnO2-Sb-Pt electrodes