Maximizing Thiophene–Sulfur Functional Groups in Carbon Catalysts for Highly Selective H₂O₂ Electrosynthesis

Abstract

Carbon materials are promising electrocatalysts for renewable energy devices because of their abundant availability, tunability, and structural durability in harsh electrochemical environments. Future large-scale applications require the construction of carbon materials with a clear doping configuration and high dopant loading, but this is particularly challenging. In this work, we reported a molecular weaving strategy using molecules with well-defined thiophene−sulfur (S) configuration as precursors to synthesize thiophene−S-doped carbon with a high S doping mass up to 14 wt % for hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) electrosynthesis. We theoretically and experimentally showed that the as-synthesized thiophene−S-doped carbon catalyst exhibited a selectivity exceeding 90% for H 2 O 2 production. More significantly, we assembled a thiophene−S-doped carbon-based zinc− air battery for simultaneous H 2 O 2 and power generation, which demonstrated a H 2 O 2 production rate of 117.7 ± 0.2 mg•mg −1 Cat •h −1 and a peak power density of 82.7 ± 0.8 mW cm −2 . This work extends the practical application potential of carbon-based materials in future energy conversion and storage devices.