Effect of the nature of the precursor on the electrocatalytic properties of thermally prepared ruthenium oxide

Ruthenium nitrosyl nitrate has been used as a precursor to prepare Cl-free RuOx with the scope of investigating the role of the residual chlorine present in RuOx obtained by thermal decomposition of RuCl3. Ti-supported layers were prepared in the temperature range 270°-500°C. Surface and electrocatalytic properties have been investigated by means of voltammetric curves, Tafel plots, reaction order, and activation energy determinations. The results have shown that Cl-free RuOx does not behave differently from RuOx containing Cl, although both the range of temperature where the stable oxide is formed and the surface morphology depend on the nature of the precursor.