Effect of Thermal Treatment on the Electrocatalytic Activities and Surface Roughness of ITO Electrodes

The electrocatalytic activities and surface roughness of indium-tin-oxide (ITO) electrodes have been investigated after thermal treatment at 100, 150, or $200^{\circ}C$ for 30 min, 2 h, or 8 h. To check electrocatalytic activities, the electrochemical behavior of four electroactive species (p-hydroquinone, $Ru(NH_3){_6}^{3+}$, ferrocenemethanol, and $Fe(CN){_6}^{4-}$) has been measured. The electron transfer rate for p-hydroquinone oxidation and ferrocenemethanol oxidation increases with increasing the incubation temperature and the incubation period of time, but the rate for $Ru(NH_3){_6}^{3+}$ is similar irrespective of the incubation temperature and period because $Ru(NH_3){_6}^{3+}$ undergoes a fast outer-sphere reaction. Overall, the electrocatalytic activities of ITO electrodes increase with increasing the incubation temperature and period. The surface roughness of ITO electrodes increases with increasing the incubation temperature, and the thermal treatment generates many towering pillars as high as several tens of nanometer.