Distinctive Tin Dioxide Anode Fabricated by Pulse Electrodeposition: High Oxygen Evolution Potential and Efficient Electrochemical Degradation of Fluorobenzene

A distinctive Sb-doped SnO 2 anode with a high oxygen evolution potential, 2.4 V vs the saturated calomel electrode, and a strong electrochemical oxidation ability was prepared on TiO 2 nanotubes through the pulse electrodeposition method. Compared with the traditional Sb-doped SnO 2 electrode prepared by the sol−gel method, the proposed SnO 2 electrode has a higher crystallinity, a higher order degree of the atomic lattice, and a lower concentration of oxygen vacancies. The scanning electron microscopy image confirms that the surface of the electrode presents a three-dimensional structure consisting of Sb-doped SnO 2 nanoparticles with a certain microspherical structure, which increases the specific area greatly and provides more active sites. The reaction activation energy also decreases from 11.67 kJ mol −1 for the traditional SnO 2 electrode to 5.73 kJ mol −1 . This SnO 2 electrode is demonstrated to have a superior electrochemical oxidation ability for refractory fluorobenzene, which is extremely stable and cannot even be degraded effectively on a boron-doped diamond electrode with a strong oxidation capacity. The results also indicate that the distinctive SnO 2 electrode has a higher apparent rate constant, total organic carbon removal, and mineralization current efficiency, which are 12, 2.6, and 3.3 times those of the traditional SnO 2 electrode, respectively. The evolution of intermediates and the degradation mechanism of fluorobenzene were further discussed. This study provides a distinctive SnO 2 anode for the effective electrochemical oxidation of refractory toxic organic pollutants.