Antimony and cerium co-doped tin oxide electrodes for pollutant degradation

The antimony and cerium co-doped tin oxide (SnO2–Sb–Ce) films were successfully deposited on Ti substrates using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP). The comparison of morphology and electrochemical properties between Ti/SnO2–Sb–Ce and Ti/SnO2–Sb electrodes was conducted. It was found that the Ti/SnO2–Sb–Ce electrodes had smaller sizes of coating grains, higher overpotential for oxygen evolution, and better electrocatalytic activity than the Ti/SnO2–Sb electrodes. The current efficiency was only 25% for degradation of 500 mg L−1 Orange II on the Ti/SnO2–Sb electrode at a charge loading of 5.4 Ah L−1, but increased to 47% on the Ti/SnO2–Sb–Ce electrode under the same conditions.