UPCYCLED CARBON BLACK AS AN ELECTROCATALYST FOR HYDROGEN PEROXIDE GENERATION

Carbon black is used in many industries due to its versatility and low cost. In this work, a cost-effective and scalable method for upcycling carbon black to carbon black flash graphene (CB-FG) using the fast flash joule heating (FJH) technique is presented. Extensive morphological, structural, spectroscopic and chemical analyses show that the resulting CB-FG exhibits lamellar morphology, low oxygen content, and a turbostratic graphitic structure. These properties underpin its excellent electrochemical performance in the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e- ORR) for the electrosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). CB-FG shows up to 95% selectivity and high activity in 0.1 M KOH, making it a strong candidate for practical H2O2 electrosynthesis applications. Overall, this study advances the development of sustainable, upcycled electrocatalysts for H2O2 production and contributes to a circular economy and global sustainability initiatives.