The properties of electroactive ruthenium oxide coatings supported by titanium-based ternary carbides

Abstract

Electroactive oxide coatings on titanium, known in industrial chlorine production as dimensionally stable anodes (DSA), are of limited service life owing to the dissolution of active oxide, but also due to low corrosion stability of titanium, at high anodic potentials and elevated temperatures. In order to improve the anode stability, ternary carbide, Ti3SiC2, could be a promising material for the coating support, since chemical corrosion stability of Ti3SiC2 is significantly higher if compared to Ti. In this work, the possibility of the sol-gel preparation of RuO2-TiO2 coating on Ti3SiC2 is investigated and comparison of the basic characteristics of sol-gel processed oxide coating, Ru0.5Ti0.5O2, applied onto Ti3SiC2 and Ti, is reported. Microscopic investigation of the coating surface showed that considerably less cracked coating is formed onto the Ti3SiC2 support. Slightly higher voltammetric currents are registered for Ti3SiC2-supported coating in H2SO4 and NaCl solution. The activity for chlorine evolution is higher, while the currents of oxygen evolution reaction are lower for Ru0.5Ti0.5O2/Ti3SiC 2 anode in comparison to Ru0.5Ti0.5O2/Ti anode. Even though these preliminary results on the basic electrochemical properties of Ru0.5Ti0.5O2/Ti3SiC 2 anode and chemical stability of Ti3SiC2 are promising, the accelerated stability test in NaCl solution showed that coated Ti3SiC2 is not anodically stable and lasts considerably shorter than Ru0.5Ti0.5O2/Ti anode prepared and tested under the same conditions.