Rational Design of Dimensionally Stable Anodes for Active Chlorine Generation

RuO 2 is one of the most important electrocatalyst materials as a key component of dimensionally stable anode (DSA) for chlorine evolution reaction, because of the high catalytic activity, while anodic corrosion remains a fundamental challenge that must be addressed. Here, we demonstrate that low-temperature annealing of RuO 2 nanoparticles (∼1.7 nm) supported on Nb-doped TiO 2 leads to the formation of durable active sites with superior activity and product selectivity toward active chlorine generation (10 mA cm –2 at 22 mV overpotential with a Faradaic efficiency of 97.3% in 0.6 M NaCl, which is much better than that of commercial DSA). The Nb doping not only enhances the electronic conductivity of TiO 2 support, but also enables thermal diffusion of Ti atoms into the RuO 2 lattice at only 200 °C, forming ultrafine solid-solution nanoparticles with ultrathin TiO 2 surface as a protecti…