Boron/Nitrogen Codoped Porous Carbon: An Efficient Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalyst for H₂O₂ Production

Electrochemical synthesis of H2O2 via a two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e– ORR) has emerged as a potential alternative to the traditional anthraquinone method, but developing efficient electrocatalysts with good activity and selectivity is still a challenge. Herein, B/N codoped porous carbon (B/N-MC) was prepared by ZnO template-assisted method. The obtained B/N-MC exhibits excellent catalytic performance for 2e– ORR. When tested in 0.1 M KOH, the B/N-MC has an outstanding Faradaic efficiency over 95% and a higher H2O2 yield rate of 5.5 mol h–1gcat–1, which is 2.1 times higher than that of N-MC without B (2.6 mol h–1gcat–1). DFT calculation results confirm that it is the N/B doping that leads to the electron redistribution of B/N-MC and enhances its adsorption to O2, thus improving the 2e– ORR performance of H2O2 generation. Furthermore, the on-site produced H2O2 on B/N-MC has been successfully used for disinfection and dye degradation, proving its potential for industrial applications. This work provides a new way to improve the performance of carbon-based catalysts by modulating their morphology and electronic structure.