Sunlight‐Driven Hydrogen Peroxide Production from Water and Molecular Oxygen by Metal‐Free Photocatalysts |
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| Authors: | Dr. Yasuhiro Shiraishi Shunsuke Kanazawa Yusuke Kofuji Hirokatsu Sakamoto Dr. Satoshi Ichikawa Dr. Shunsuke Tanaka Prof. Takayuki Hirai |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Research Center for Solar Energy Chemistry, and Division of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560‐8531 (Japan);2. Institute for NanoScience Design, Osaka University (Japan);3. Department of Chemical, Energy and Environmental Engineering, Kansai University (Japan) |
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| Abstract: | Design of green, safe, and sustainable process for the synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a very important subject. Early reported processes, however, require hydrogen (H2) and palladium‐based catalysts. Herein we propose a photocatalytic process for H2O2 synthesis driven by metal‐free catalysts with earth‐abundant water and molecular oxygen (O2) as resources under sunlight irradiation (λ>400 nm). We use graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) containing electron‐deficient aromatic diimide units as catalysts. Incorporating the diimide units positively shifts the valence‐band potential of the catalysts, while maintaining sufficient conduction‐band potential for O2 reduction. Visible light irradiation of the catalysts in pure water with O2 successfully produces H2O2 by oxidation of water by the photoformed valence‐band holes and selective two‐electron reduction of O2 by the conduction band electrons. |
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| Keywords: | graphitic carbon nitride hydrogen peroxide oxygen photocatalysis water |
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