Corrosion Potential Modulation on Lead Anodes Using Water Oxidation Catalyst Coatings

The oxidation of water to form oxygen gas provides charge balance for the cathodic deposition of metals, such as zinc, in the electrorefining industry. This is a corrosive, four-electron electrochemical reaction that causes deterioration of lead-silver alloy anodes employed in these processes. A sacrificial manganese oxide layer on the anode surface, formed in-situ from manganese sulfate, is used in industry to reduce the corrosion rate of these anodes by preferentially enabling water oxidation rather than lead dissolution. Still, it is poorly understood how the activity of manganese oxide as a water oxidation catalyst relates to its anticorrosive properties. Here, we show how the presence of water oxidation catalysts both formed in-situ (including the industry standard manganese oxide) and heterogenized prior to electrolysis on lead anodes affect the corrosion potential of these anodes. We find that corrosion potential under dynamic polarization conditions is the parameter most affected by the coatings formed in-situ and applied ex-situ prior to electrolysis.