The principle of impressed current cathodic protection is in connecting an external anode to the material to be protected from corrosion and passing of an external ( impressed ) electrical DC current.

PLATINIZED IMPRESSED CURRENT CATHODIC PROTECTION ANODE
These impressed current anodes are also known as dimensionally stable anode or insoluble anodes. Platinum is an excellent anode material due to its high conductivity and low consumption rate. Due to its high cost, it is not economical to use platinum by itself. So that platinized anodes are produced by electroplating a thin layer of platinum over a lower cost substrate such as titanium, tantalum, niobium or zirconium etc.

Anodes are specially designed for aqueous environments with a PVC perforated tube that directs current flow and provides extra protection to the anode.

The traditional large and heavy impressed-current anodes are thought to be the only way for preventing corrosion in numerous types of buried and submerged structures. With the development of the mixed metal oxide anodes, the idea has been greatly challenged.The coating of the mixed metal oxides on the anodes has an almost negligible consumption rate of less than 1.0 mg/amp-yr. TiTaN manufactures the complete solid mixed-metal oxide anodes for use in a variety of corrosion-prone environments. The anodes are composed of titanium rod, titanium tube, titanium ribbon mesh substrates, which are coated with amixed-metal-oxide catalyst. The titanium substrate, totally stable, transfers direct electrical current through the mixed-metal-oxide coating.