Cobalt atoms anchored on nitrogen-doped hollow carbon spheres for efficient electrocatalysis of oxygen reduction to H₂O₂

Abstract

Electrochemical production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) from oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a promising alternative to the costly anthraquinone method. However, the sluggish kinetics of ORR on most electrocatalysts restricts its wide application. Therefore, exploring electrocatalysts with high activity and selectivity for two−electron ORR is significant. Herein, cobalt atoms anchored on nitrogen-doped hollow carbon spheres (Co−NHCS) are presented for H2O2 electrosynthesis. The Co−NHCS catalyst exhibits excellent H2O2 electrosynthesis performance in acidic media with high reactivity with an ORR potential of 0.581 V at 1.0 mA cm−2 and H2O2 selectivity up to 90%. Moreover, the H2O2 output in the assembled device reaches 2,980 mg L−1 h−1 with high Faraday efficiency. The enhanced performance of Co−NHCS originates from the hollow structure and center sites of Co introduction. This work affords a facile strategy for the fabrication of high-efficient carbon-based materials for H2O2 electrosynthesis.

Recent Advances and Future Perspectives of Transition Metal‐Supported Carbon with Different Dimensions for Highly Efficient Electrochemical Hydrogen Peroxide Preparation

“…The introduced Co further enhanced the activity of Co─NHCS with an excellent H 2 O 2 selectivity (90%) and yield (2980 mg L −1 h −1 ) in an acidic solution. [141] In addition, as shown in Figure 15e SAC exhibited an excellent selectivity ≈100% with a much higher yield (248 mmol g cat −1 h −1 ) for H 2 O 2 preparation in an alkaline medium. [142]…”

“…Reproduced with permission. [141] Copyright 2023, IOP Publishing. e) Schematic synthesis, the density of states (DOS), and the stability of the catalyst.…”

“…d) Synthetic process, selectivity, yield, and the corresponding FE of catalysts for H 2 O 2 production. Reproduced with permission [141]. Copyright 2023, IOP Publishing.…”

General Design Concept of High‐Performance Single‐Atom‐Site Catalysts for H2O2 Electrosynthesis

“…Compared with conventional powder catalysts, supports with porous or larger pore sizes can further improve the electrosynthesis efficiency of H 2 O . [235] A Co-NHCS catalyst with Co atoms anchored on N-doped hollow carbon spheres was designed by Wang et al [236] Owing to the hollow structure of the carbon support, the Co-NHCS catalyst exhibited excellent H 2 O 2 electrosynthesis performance in an acidic medium, with an ORR potential of 0.581 V at 1.0 mA cm −2 and up to 90% selectivity. Lin's group synthesized an AuCu ultrathin nanowire aerogel loading Pt atoms.…”

Modification of NiSe2 Nanoparticles by ZIF-8-Derived NC for Boosting H2O2 Production from Electrochemical Oxygen Reduction in Acidic Media

“…To date, various catalysts have been developed for electrocatalytic oxygen reduction to produce H 2 O 2 , but most of them showed a significantly improved 2e − ORR performance only under alkaline media [12][13][14][15]. However, from the perspective of practical application, H 2 O 2 is prone to decomposition in the alkaline environment for a long time, which greatly limits its application in actual industry and daily life [16][17][18]. On the contrary, acidic media can not only effectively stabilize H 2 O 2 , but it can also be more suitable for application scenarios such as electro-Fenton, showing more attractive advantages [7,[19][20][21].…”