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.
Authors
- Jingnan Zheng
- Yuanan Li
- Jianguo Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2391-4529)
- Tianhang Lu
- Shijie Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9269-5406)
- Yabing Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8367-3830)
- Haochong Zhong
- Jinglei Si
- Haoqiang Cao
- Na Xu
- Bei Zhang
- Xuejiao Cui
- Yunyi Cao
Institutions
- Little Swan (China) (CN)
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Small
- Published
- 2026-07-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.74633
- Primary Topic
- Advanced oxidation water treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00