TiO2 nanotube arrays based DSA electrode and application in treating dye wastewater

Dimensionally stable anode (DSA) of antimony-doped tin dioxide electrode based on TiO2-nanotube arrays (NTs) has been successfully fabricated through thermal decomposition. The surface morphology and composition of the electrodes were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Methyl orange (MO) was used as a model pollutant to investigate the electrochemical properties of these two electrodes. The optimized anodic oxidation voltage and time for TiO2-nanotubes array based DSA electrode is 60 V and 10 min, respectively. The results show that Ti/TiO2–NTs/Sb–SnO2 electrode has an increase of 100 mV in oxygen evolution overpotential and the service life is 56% longer than that of the traditional DSA electrode. Under the optimum conditions, MO solution decolorization rate and TOC removal rate reached approximately 100 and 80%, respectively. Study suggested that the as-prepared Ti/TiO2–NTs/Sb–SnO2 DSA electrode exhibits high activity for degradation of organic pollutant with high concentration.