Efficient H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> Electrosynthesis in Acidic media via Multiscale Catalyst Optimization
Electrochemically generating hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) from oxygen offers a more sustainable and cost-effective alternative to conventional anthraquinone process. In alkaline conditions, H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> is unstable as HO<sub>2</sub> <sup>-</sup>, and in neutral electrolytes, alkali cation crossover causes system instability. Producing H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> in acidic electrolytes ensures enhanced stability and efficiency. However, in acidic conditions, the oxygen reduction reaction mechanism is dominated by the inner-sphere electron transfer pathway, requiring careful consideration of both reaction and mass transfer kinetics. These stringent requirements limit H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> production efficiency, typically below 10-20% at industrial-relevant current densities (>300 mA cm<sup>-2</sup>). Using a multiscale approach that combines active site tuning with macrostructure tuning, this work presents an octahedron-like cobalt structure on interconnected hierarchical porous nanofibers, achieving a faradaic efficiency exceeding 80% at 400 mA cm<sup>-2</sup> and stable operation for over 120 h at 100 mA cm<sup>-2</sup>. At 300 mA cm<sup>-2</sup>, the optimized catalyst demonstrates a cell potential of 2.14 V, resulting in an energy efficiency of 26%.
Authors
- Dong Hyeon Mok (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5319-7052)
- Jeongin Moon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1190-8837)
- Jaehyuk Shim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2191-6032)
- Juhyun Yang
- Taeghwan Hyeon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5959-6257)
- Hyeon Seok Lee
- Megalamane S. Bootharaju (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9198-5447)
- Kang Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7047-3183)
- Sungeun Heo
- Pieter Glatzel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6532-8144)
- Seoin Back (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4682-0621)
- Vinod K. Paidi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1085-4988)
- Kug‐Seung Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7570-8404)
- Yung‐Eun Sung (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1563-8328)
- Jaewoo Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6529-1003)
- Subin Park (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2310-2371)
- Jeong Hyun Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9827-8427)
- Byoung‐Hoon Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0482-2859)
- Mi‐Ju Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9388-1315)
- Maeng‐Joon Jung
- Dongho Shin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5754-6815)
- Sung Jong Yoo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1556-0206)
- Eungjun Lee
- Heejong Shin
Institutions
- Pohang University of Science and Technology (KR)
- Seoul National University (KR)
- Sogang University (KR)
- Korea University (KR)
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (FR)
- Institute for Basic Science (KR)
- Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Materials
- Published
- 2025-03-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202418489
- Citations
- 5
- Primary Topic
- Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.82
Funders
- Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy
- National Research Foundation of Korea