Research progress of electrocatalysts for the preparation of H₂O₂ by electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction

Abstract

As an eco‐friendly oxidant and energy carrier, H2O2 is used in various fields. The industrial production of H2O2 mostly depends on the large‐scale anthraquinone oxidation processes with high costs. Electrocatalytic production of H2O2 has attracted attention as a renewable and cost‐effective approach to replace traditional ones. With the recent development of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts, remarkable progress in electrocatalysts for electrocatalytic H2O2 production by 2e− ORR has been reported. This review summarizes a detailed overview of the recent progress in 2e− ORR for H2O2 production with the mechanism and various efficient catalysts. The catalysts were divided into three parts: noble metal‐based catalyst, non‐noble metal‐based catalyst, and non‐metal‐based catalyst. The influences of the catalytic activity and selectivity were also discussed. Finally, this review explores the prospects of electrocatalytic 2e− ORR for H2O2 synthesis and potential research directions for electrocatalysts. It aims to offer guidance in designing efficient 2e− ORR electrocatalysts and inspire further innovation in electrocatalytic H2O2 synthesis.

Lattice engineering of noble metal-based nanomaterials via metal–nonmetal interactions for catalytic applications

“…Noble metal-based nanomaterials possess outstanding catalytic properties, including activity, selectivity, and durability, in a variety of catalytic reactions, 1–4 which are important for developing sustainable energy storage and conversion technologies to mitigate global energy crisis and environmental pollution. 5–7 For example, noble metal based electrocatalysts play key roles in proton exchange membrane fuel cells, which are promising clean energy conversion devices due to their high efficiency, high power density and low pollution emission.…”

The Recent Progress of Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts Used at Fuel Cell Level

“…The most feasible method to achieve acceptable, low-cost PEM-FCs could be the use of PGM-free catalysts on both electrodes. The most considerable advantages of non-PGM catalysts over PGM catalysts are their abundance, ease of getting on a large scale, and their lower cost [47,48] . Here, we confine our discussion for non-PGM metal catalysts mainly to transition metal oxides (TMOs), transition metal nitrides (TMNs), transition metal phosphides (TMPs), and transition metal disulfides (TMDs).…”

Low-cell-voltage electrosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide

“…Given the stability and application scenarios of H 2 O 2 , such as the productions of rubber vulcanization additives and caprolactam, a neutral electrolyte is preferred. 7,8 Most research on the electrosynthesis of H 2 O 2 has focused on the single-electrode ORR process, 10,11 exploring the performance of electrocatalysts for H 2 O 2 production. However, there is less research on the overall electrochemical process, including the ORR, OER, and ionic conduction, which is particularly important to the efficiency and energy consumption of H 2 O 2 production.…”