Engineered Covalent Organic Frameworks with Green Future for Environmentally Sustainable Production of Hydrogen Peroxide: A Critical Review

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a vital chemical with extensive applications in industries such as agriculture, pharmaceuticals, textiles, water treatment, and food preservation. However, traditional production methods, particularly the anthraquinone process, are energy-intensive, environmentally detrimental, and economically challenging. This review explores the emerging role of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as sustainable and efficient catalysts for environmentally sustainable generation of H2O2 through photocatalytic and electrocatalytic pathways. COFs, with their tunable porosity, high surface area, and functionalization capabilities, offer unique advantages in enhancing catalytic performance, including improved mass transport, optimized charge transfer, and stabilization of reaction intermediates. Recent advancements in COF-based systems have demonstrated significant improvements in H2O2 yields, driven by innovative designs such as hierarchical pore structures, functional group incorporation, and hybrid composites with conductive materials. Additionally, the integration of COFs into flexible electrode architectures and on-site detection technologies highlights their potential for scalable and practical applications. Despite these advancements, challenges related to catalytic stability, scalability, and industrial integration remain. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms, design principles, and performance of COF-based H2O2 generation systems, while identifying future research directions to address existing limitations. By leveraging the unique properties of engineered COFs, this work underscores their transformative potential in advancing sustainable H2O2 production, paving the way for greener and more efficient industrial processes.