R. Otogawa et al., MORPHOLOGICAL DETERIORATION OF IRIDIUM OXIDE-TANTALUM OXIDE ANODE BY OXYGEN EVOLUTION, Denki Kagaku Oyobi Kogyo Butsuri Kagaku, 65(12), 1997, pp. 987-991
The morphology of an iridium oxide-based anode prepared by thermal dec
omposition and its variation during electrolysis at a high current den
sity are investigated by SEM observation and elementary analysis using
EDX, XRF, and XPS. The surface structure of the IrO2-Ta2O5 anodes is
heterogeneous, consisting of cracks, IrO2 crystallites, and smooth are
as with microcracks. Some parts of the coating layer gradually drop of
f with the increase in the number of cracks during the electrolysis, w
hich results in the appearance of the new IrO2 crystallites from the i
nside phase of the coating layer. The relation between the morphologic
al deterioration and the lifetime of the anode is also discussed.