Selective and continuous electrosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide on nitrogen-doped carbon supported nickel

Abstract

Hydrogen peroxide is a widely used industrial oxidant, the large-scale production of which continues to be done by an indirect process. Direct electrosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide from aerial oxygen and water is a sustainable alternative, but this remains challenging because hydrogen peroxide is highly reactive and robust catalysts are vital. Here, we report direct and continuous electrosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide under alkaline conditions using a nitrogen-doped-carbon-supported nickel catalyst. Both experiment and theoretical calculations confirm that the existence of nickel particles suppresses the further reduction of hydrogen peroxide on Ni-N-C matrix. In air-saturated 0.1 M potassium hydroxide, the energy-efficient non-precious metal electrocatalyst exhibits a consistent Faraday efficiency over 95% at a steady rate of hydrogen peroxide production (15.1 mmol min(-1) gcat(-1)) for 100 h. This sustainable, efficient, and safe process is an important step toward continuous production of hydrogen peroxide.