Highly efficient electrosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide on a superhydrophobic three-phase interface by natural air diffusion

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) synthesis by electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction has attracted great attention as a green substitute for the anthraquinone process. However, low oxygen utilization efficiency (<1%) and high energy consumption remain obstacles. Herein we propose a superhydrophobic natural air diffusion electrode (NADE) to greatly improve the oxygen diffusion coefficient at the cathode about 5.7 times as compared to the normal gas diffusion electrode (GDE) system. NADE allows the oxygen to be naturally diffused to the reaction interface, eliminating the need to pump oxygen/air to overcome the resistance of the gas diffusion layer, resulting in fast H2O2 production (101.67 mg h−1 cm−2) with a high oxygen utilization efficiency (44.5%–64.9%). Long-term operation stability of NADE and its high current efficiency under high current density indicate great potential to replace normal GDE for H2O2 electrosynthesis and environmental remediation on an industrial scale.

Qizhan Zhang, Minghua Zhou, Gengbo Ren, Yawei Li, Yanchun Li, Xuedong Du