Potential of Tandem Catalysts for Excellent H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> Electrosynthesis at Industrial-Relevant Current

Direct electrosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) serves as an innovative and less-energy-demanding alternative to the conventional anthraquinone process. As the process involves active hydrogen (*H) production and hydrogenation of oxygen-containing intermediates, catalysts containing dual functional sites for *H and *OOH intermediate generation might boost the H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> electrosynthesis activity. Here, we report a tandem catalyst with a uniform distribution of single-atom Al sites around Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> species, constituting the adjacent catalytic centers (Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/Al<sub>1</sub>-O-C). The Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/Al<sub>1</sub>-O-C catalysts exhibit high H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> selectivity in alkaline conditions and achieve a yield rate of 39.4 mol g<sub>cat.</sub><sup>-1</sup> h<sup>-1</sup> with a favorable stability of over 100 h in the flow cell. The direct output concentration of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> can reach 1659.2 mmol L<sup>-1</sup> (5.61 wt %) at 400 mA cm<sup>-2</sup>. The in situ measurements and simulated calculations reveal that the Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> sites catalyze the Volmer step in water decomposition to generate *H, which significantly promotes the *OOH generation from the reduction of *O<sub>2</sub> on single-atom Al sites, thus promoting H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> electrosynthesis at high current densities. This tandem design enables industrially relevant H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> electrosynthesis, demonstrating the potential for practical applications in the future.

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Publication Details

Journal
ACS Nano
Published
2025-08-08
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5c08394
Citations
5
Primary Topic
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.82

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Potential of Tandem Catalysts for Excellent H2O2 Electrosynthesis at Industrial-Relevant Current

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5 citations
ACS Nano
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
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article

Potential of Tandem Catalysts for Excellent H2O2 Electrosynthesis at Industrial-Relevant Current

Xueyang Zhao, Chenghua Sun, Junfeng Niu, Yizhao Li, Hongtao Yu, Kun Zhao, Hongxiang Li, Xinyu Zhang, Shuai Wu, Siming Chen
article en
5 citations

Abstract

Direct electrosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) serves as an innovative and less-energy-demanding alternative to the conventional anthraquinone process. As the process involves active hydrogen (*H) production and hydrogenation of oxygen-containing intermediates, catalysts containing dual functional sites for *H and *OOH intermediate generation might boost the H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> electrosynthesis activity. Here, we report a tandem catalyst with a uniform distribution of single-atom Al sites around Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> species, constituting the adjacent catalytic centers (Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/Al<sub>1</sub>-O-C). The Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/Al<sub>1</sub>-O-C catalysts exhibit high H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> selectivity in alkaline conditions and achieve a yield rate of 39.4 mol g<sub>cat.</sub><sup>-1</sup> h<sup>-1</sup> with a favorable stability of over 100 h in the flow cell. The direct output concentration of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> can reach 1659.2 mmol L<sup>-1</sup> (5.61 wt %) at 400 mA cm<sup>-2</sup>. The in situ measurements and simulated calculations reveal that the Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> sites catalyze the Volmer step in water decomposition to generate *H, which significantly promotes the *OOH generation from the reduction of *O<sub>2</sub> on single-atom Al sites, thus promoting H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> electrosynthesis at high current densities. This tandem design enables industrially relevant H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> electrosynthesis, demonstrating the potential for practical applications in the future.

ACS NanoVol. 19(32)
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (CN), North China Electric Power University (CN), Dalian University of Technology (CN), Huzhou Normal University (CN), State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control (CN), Southwest Jiaotong University (CN), Swinburne University of Technology (AU), Tsinghua University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 14%
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
1.82
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