Electron Injection From B <sub>4</sub> C to Sn Sites Optimizes *OOH Adsorption Enabling Efficient H <sub>2</sub> O <sub>2</sub> Electrosynthesis

ABSTRACT The development of efficient non‐precious metal electrocatalysts is a key challenge for the sustainable electrosynthesis of H 2 O 2 . In this study, a Sn/B 4 C composite catalyst was constructed via low‐temperature pyrolysis under a hydrogen atmosphere. The optimized Sn/B 4 C‐3 exhibited excellent 2e − ORR performance, achieving 93.69% H 2 O 2 selectivity in 0.1 M KOH and 91.9% selectivity in 0.05 M Na 2 SO 4 in RRDE measurements. In a neutral flow cell, the Sn/B 4 C‐3 delivered an H 2 O 2 production rate of 13.33 mol g cat −1 h −1 with a Faradaic efficiency of 91.38%, and maintained operation for 130 h. XPS and in situ ATR‐SEIRAS analyses reveal that electron transfer from B 4 C to Sn generates electron‐rich Sn centers, which optimally modulate the adsorption energy of the key *OOH intermediate. DFT calculations confirm that these centers lower the energy barrier for H 2 O 2 formation and enable optimal *OOH binding, thereby steering the pathway toward selective 2e − ORR. The catalyst maintained stable performance over 130 h of continuous operation in a flow cell. Furthermore, the in situ generated H 2 O 2 solution inactivated Escherichia coli and Streptomyces griseus within 40 min, achieving 99% sterilization efficiency. This study introduces an innovative design principle for electrocatalysts based on metal‐carbide synergy, promoting sustainable H 2 O 2 production for applications such as microbial disinfection.

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Small
Published
2026-07-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.74633
Primary Topic
Advanced oxidation water treatment
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article
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article

Electron Injection From B 4 C to Sn Sites Optimizes *OOH Adsorption Enabling Efficient H 2 O 2 Electrosynthesis

Jingnan Zheng, Yuanan Li, Jianguo Wang, Tianhang Lu et al.
Small
Advanced oxidation water treatment
article

Electron Injection From B 4 C to Sn Sites Optimizes *OOH Adsorption Enabling Efficient H 2 O 2 Electrosynthesis

Jingnan Zheng, Yuanan Li, Jianguo Wang, Tianhang Lu, Shijie Zhang, Yabing Wang, Haochong Zhong, Jinglei Si, Haoqiang Cao, Na Xu, Bei Zhang, Xuejiao Cui, Yunyi Cao
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT The development of efficient non‐precious metal electrocatalysts is a key challenge for the sustainable electrosynthesis of H 2 O 2 . In this study, a Sn/B 4 C composite catalyst was constructed via low‐temperature pyrolysis under a hydrogen atmosphere. The optimized Sn/B 4 C‐3 exhibited excellent 2e − ORR performance, achieving 93.69% H 2 O 2 selectivity in 0.1 M KOH and 91.9% selectivity in 0.05 M Na 2 SO 4 in RRDE measurements. In a neutral flow cell, the Sn/B 4 C‐3 delivered an H 2 O 2 production rate of 13.33 mol g cat −1 h −1 with a Faradaic efficiency of 91.38%, and maintained operation for 130 h. XPS and in situ ATR‐SEIRAS analyses reveal that electron transfer from B 4 C to Sn generates electron‐rich Sn centers, which optimally modulate the adsorption energy of the key *OOH intermediate. DFT calculations confirm that these centers lower the energy barrier for H 2 O 2 formation and enable optimal *OOH binding, thereby steering the pathway toward selective 2e − ORR. The catalyst maintained stable performance over 130 h of continuous operation in a flow cell. Furthermore, the in situ generated H 2 O 2 solution inactivated Escherichia coli and Streptomyces griseus within 40 min, achieving 99% sterilization efficiency. This study introduces an innovative design principle for electrocatalysts based on metal‐carbide synergy, promoting sustainable H 2 O 2 production for applications such as microbial disinfection.

Small
Little Swan (China) (CN), State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering (CN)
Responsible consumption and production
Openalex Percentile: Top 17%
Advanced oxidation water treatment
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