NbO <sub>6</sub> octahedra of high-dimensional Nb <sub>2</sub> O <sub>5</sub> boosting H <sub>2</sub> O <sub>2</sub> electrosynthesis for sewage pollutants degradation
Two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e<sup>−</sup> ORR) to produce hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) presents an efficient, secure, and sustainable method. However, the competing four-electron pathway produces H<sub>2</sub>O, yielding low H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> selectivity (~ 70%). In this work, a high-dimensional rod-like structure of niobium oxide (Nb<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>-HD) containing NbO<sub>6</sub> octahedra was synthesized using a hydrothermal method combined with a calcination strategy. Under 50 mA·cm<sup>−2</sup>, the Faradaic efficiency (FE) of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> reached 94%, with the H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> yield reaching as high as 874 mmol·g<sub>cat</sub><sup>−1</sup>·h<sup>−1</sup>. After 34 h of operation, FE was still 76%, and the stability is great. <i>In situ</i> Raman spectroscopy analysis and experiments revealed that the NbO<sub>6</sub> octahedra on Nb<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>-HD were the key factor for its excellent ORR activity and H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> FE. This inspires the development of high-performance ORR transition metal electrocatalysts.
Institutions
- East China University of Science and Technology (CN)
- Hokkaido University (JP)
- Tokyo Metropolitan University (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nano Research
- Published
- 2025-08-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.26599/nr.2025.94907917
- Primary Topic
- Geochemistry and Geologic Mapping
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
- National Key Research and Development Program of China