Lead dioxide deposits have been prepared as thin films Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates from methanesulphonate or nitrate-based plating solutions. The resulting electrodes exhibit lower oxygen evolution overpotential than FTO and their flatband potential is considerably higher. In addition, it is possible to increase their donor density by incorporating fluoride anions in the PbO2 coating. The electrodes have been designed for the generation of oxygen. It is shown that a transparent electrocatalytic FTO/PbO2 thin film assembly can be prepared by such process. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.