The Inhibition of Ozone Generation at Ni/Sb-SnO2 Electrodes in High Concentrations of Dissolved O3

The work reported in this paper investigated the observation that high concentrations of ozone in the electrolyte inhibits the electrochemical ozone evolution process at Ni/Sb-SnO2 anodes in aqueous sulfuric acid. We show that inhibition does indeed take place and that this inhibition does not affect the current density and hence appears to reflect an increase in the ratio of O-2 to O-3 evolved. A possible mechanism for the inhibition is proposed. It was found that Celgard 2400 membrane was an acceptable alternative to Nafion in the divided electrolysis cell employed.