Novel Ti/Cu-NRs/SnO2-Sb electrode modified by copper (Cu) nanorods was fabricated through anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template assisted electrochemical deposition (ECD) for wastewater treatment. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electrochemical methods such as linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to characterize the surface morphology, crystal structure and electrochemical performance of the electrodes. Acid dye AR 73 was selected as target pollutants to investigate the electro-catalyst behavior, and UV/vis spectroscopy was used to monitor the concentration changes with time. The results indicated that the presence of Cu nanorods on the Ti substrate promoted the electrodes' property obviously. Ti/Cu-NRs/SnO2-Sb anode possessed smaller charge transfer resistance and longer service life than Ti/SnO2-Sb anode. The oxygen evolution potential (OEP) of Ti/Cu-NRs/SnO2-Sb electrodes reach 2.17 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). Removal of pollutants and reaction rate were all promoted due to the introduction of Cu nanorods in the process of AR 73 decomposing with Ti/Cu-NRs/SnO2-Sb electrodes. And specific energy consumption also reduced remarkably. Our study has shown that the fabricated Ti/Cu-NRs/SnO2-Sb electrodes are very promising for the electrochemical treatment of wastewater. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.