Antimony and its anodic oxide film

The air-formed and anodic films on antimony surfaces are vulnerable to dissolution in the acid medium with the anodic film dissolving at a higher rate than the air-formed film. This may be due to the fact that the anodic film that formed on the antimony surface has more defective characteristics than the air-generated film. The results of polarization revealed that the rate of antimony corrosion increased as the temperature increased. SEM micrographs revealed that anodic polarization of the metal in 4.97 M H2SO4 repaired scratches and defects on the mechanically polished antimony surface. Furthermore the AFM picture of the anodic-produced antimony film revealed that it was homogeneous and free of pores.