Sulfone-Modified Covalent Organic Frameworks Enabling Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Peroxide Generation via One-Step Two-Electron O2 Reduction

Photocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) offers a promising hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) synthetic strategy, especially the one-step two-electron (2e⁻) ORR route holds great potential in achieving highly efficient and selectivity. However, efficient one-step 2e⁻ ORR is rarely harvested and the underlying mechanism for regulating the ORR pathways remains greatly obscure. Here, by loading sulfone units into covalent organic frameworks (FS-COFs), we present an efficient photocatalyst for H₂O₂ generation via one-step 2e⁻ ORR from pure water and air. Under visible light irradiation, FS-COFs exert a superb H₂O₂ yield of 3904.2 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹, outperforming most reported metal-free catalysts under similar conditions. Experimental and theoretical investigation reveals that the sulfone units accelerate the separation of photoinduced electron-hole (e⁻-h⁺) pairs, enhance the protonation of COFs, and promote O₂ adsorption in the Yeager-type, which jointly alters the reaction process from two-step 2e⁻ ORR to the one-step one, thereby achieving efficient H₂O₂ generation with high selectivity.     

Cyclodextrin-supported Co(OH)2 Clusters as Electrocatalysts for Efficient and Selective H2O2 Synthesis

Co-based material catalysts have shown attractive application prospects in the 2 e⁻ oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, for the industrial synthesis of H₂O₂, there is still lack of Co-based catalysts with high production yield rate. Here, novel cyclodextrin-supported Co(OH)₂ cluster catalysts were prepared via a mild and facile method. The catalyst exhibited remarkable H₂O₂ selectivity (94.2 % ~ 98.2 %), good stability (99 % activity retention after 35 h), and ultra-high H₂O₂ production yield rate (5.58 mol g_catalyst⁻¹ h⁻¹ in the H-type electrolytic cell), demonstrating its promising industrial application potential. Density functional theory (DFT) reveals that the cyclodextrin-mediated Co(OH)₂ electronic structure optimizes the adsorption of OOH* intermediates and significantly enhances the activation energy barrier for dissociation, leading to the high reactivity and selectivity for the 2 e⁻ ORR. This work offers a valuable and practical strategy to design Co-based electrocatalysts for H₂O₂ production.     

Thiophene-Containing Covalent Organic Frameworks for Overall Photocatalytic H2O2 Synthesis in Water and Seawater

H₂O₂ is a significant chemical widely utilized in the environmental and industrial fields, with growing global demand. Without sacrificial agents, simultaneous photocatalyzed H₂O₂ synthesis through the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and water oxidation reaction (WOR) dual channels from seawater is green and sustainable but still challenging. Herein, two novel thiophene-containing covalent organic frameworks (TD-COF and TT-COF) were first constructed and served as catalysts for H₂O₂ synthesis via indirect 2e⁻ ORR and direct 2e⁻ WOR channels. The photocatalytic H₂O₂ production performance can be regulated by adjusting the N-heterocycle modules (pyridine and triazine) in COFs. Notably, with no sacrificial agents, just using air and water as raw materials, TD-COF exhibited high H₂O₂ production yields of 4060 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹ and 3364 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹ in deionized water and natural seawater, respectively. Further computational mechanism studies revealed that the thiophene was the primary photoreduction unit for ORR, while the benzene ring (linked to the thiophene by the imine bond) was the central photooxidation unit for WOR. The current work exploits thiophene-containing COFs for overall photocatalytic H₂O₂ synthesis via ORR and WOR dual channels and provides fresh insight into creating innovative catalysts for photocatalyzing H₂O₂ synthesis.     

Carboxylated Hexagonal Boron Nitride/Graphene Configuration for Electrosynthesis of High-Concentration Neutral Hydrogen Peroxide

The electrosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) via two-electron (2e⁻) oxygen (O₂) reduction reaction (ORR) has great potential to replace the traditional energy-intensive anthraquinone process, but the design of low-cost and highly active and selective catalysts is greatly challenging for the long-term H₂O₂ production under industrial relevant current density, especially under neutral electrolytes. To address this issue, this work constructed a carboxylated hexagonal boron nitride/graphene (h-BN/G) heterojunction on the commercial activated carbon through the coupling of B, N co-doping with surface oxygen groups functionalization. The champion catalyst exhibited a high 2e⁻ ORR selectivity (>95 %), production rate (up to 13.4 mol g⁻¹ h⁻¹), and Faradaic efficiency (FE, >95 %). The long-term H₂O₂ production under the high current density of 100 mA cm⁻² caused the cumulative concentration as high as 2.1 wt %. The combination of in situ Raman spectra and theoretical calculation indicated that the carboxylated h-BN/G configuration promotes the adsorption of O₂ and the stabilization of the key intermediates, allowing a low energy barrier for the rate-determining step of HOOH* release from the active site and thus improving the 2e⁻ ORR performance. The fast dye degradation by using this electrochemical synthesized H₂O₂ further illustrated the promising practical application.     

Atomically Dispersed Iron Regulating Electronic Structure of Iron Atom Clusters for Electrocatalytic H2O2 Production and Biomass Upgrading

The integration of highly active single atoms (SAs) and atom clusters (ACs) into an electrocatalyst is critically important for high-efficiency two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e⁻ ORR) to hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Here we report a tandem impregnation-pyrolysis-etching strategy to fabricate the oxygen-coordinated Fe SAs and ACs anchored on bacterial cellulose-derived carbon (BCC) (FeSAs/ACs-BCC). As the electrocatalyst, FeSAs/ACs-BCC exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity and selectivity toward 2e⁻ ORR, affording an onset potential of 0.78 V (vs. RHE) and a high H₂O₂ selectivity of 96.5 % in 0.1 M KOH. In a flow cell reactor, the FeSAs/ACs-BCC also achieves high-efficiency H₂O₂ production with a yield rate of 12.51±0.18 mol g_cat⁻¹ h⁻¹ and a faradaic efficiency of 89.4 %±1.3 % at 150 mA cm⁻². Additionally, the feasibility of coupling the produced H₂O₂ and electro-Fenton process for the valorization of ethylene glycol was explored in detail. The theoretical calculations uncover that the oxygen-coordinated Fe SAs effectively regulate the electronic structure of Fe ACs which are the 2e⁻ ORR active sites, resulting in the optimal binding strength of *OOH intermediate for high-efficiency H₂O₂ production.     

Approaching Theoretical Performances of Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Peroxide Generation by Cobalt-Nitrogen Moieties

Electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has been intensively studied for environmentally benign applications. However, insufficient understanding of ORR 2 e⁻-pathway mechanism at the atomic level inhibits rational design of catalysts with both high activity and selectivity, causing concerns including catalyst degradation due to Fenton reaction or poor efficiency of H₂O₂ electrosynthesis. Herein we show that the generally accepted ORR electrocatalyst design based on a Sabatier volcano plot argument optimises activity but is unable to account for the 2 e⁻-pathway selectivity. Through electrochemical and operando spectroscopic studies on a series of CoN_x/carbon nanotube hybrids, a construction-driven approach based on an extended “dynamic active site saturation” model that aims to create the maximum number of 2 e⁻ ORR sites by directing the secondary ORR electron transfer towards the 2 e⁻ intermediate is proven to be attainable by manipulating O₂ hydrogenation kinetics.     

Lattice Distortion and H-passivation in Pure Carbon Electrocatalysts for Efficient and Stable Two-electron Oxygen Reduction to H2O2

The exploration of inexpensive and efficient catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is crucial for chemical and energy industries. Carbon materials have been proved promising with different catalysts enabling 2 and 4e⁻ ORR. Nevertheless, their ORR activity and selectivity is still complex and under debate in many cases. Many structures of these active carbon materials are also chemically unstable for practical implementations. Unlike the well-discussed structures, this work presents a strategy to promote efficient and stable 2e⁻ ORR of carbon materials through the synergistic effect of lattice distortion and H-passivation (on the distorted structure). We show how these structures can be formed on carbon cloth, and how the reproducible chemical adsorption can be realized on these structures for efficient and stable H₂O₂ production. The work here gives not only new understandings on the 2e⁻ ORR catalysis, but also the robust catalyst which can be directly used in industry.     

Boosting Hydrogen Peroxide Electrosynthesis via Modulating the Interfacial Hydrogen-Bond Environment

Designing highly efficient and stable electrode-electrolyte interface for hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) electrosynthesis remains challenging. Inhibiting the competitive side reaction, 4 e⁻ oxygen reduction to H₂O, is essential for highly selective H₂O₂ electrosynthesis. Instead of hindering excessive hydrogenation of H₂O₂ via catalyst modification, we discover that adding a hydrogen-bond acceptor, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), to the KOH electrolyte enables simultaneous improvement of the selectivity and activity of H₂O₂ electrosynthesis. Spectral characterization and molecular simulation confirm that the formation of hydrogen bonds between DMSO and water molecules at the electrode-electrolyte interface can reduce the activity of water dissociation into active H* species. The suitable H* supply environment hinders excessive hydrogenation of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), thus improving the selectivity of 2 e⁻ ORR and achieving over 90 % selectivity of H₂O₂. This work highlights the importance of regulating the interfacial hydrogen-bond environment by organic molecules as a means of boosting electrochemical performance in aqueous electrosynthesis and beyond.     

CO2 Laser-Induced Graphene with an Appropriate Oxygen Species as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Peroxide Synthesis

Oxygen species functionalized graphene (O−G) is an effective electrocatalyst for electrochemically synthesizing hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) by a 2 e⁻ oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The type of oxygen species and degree of carbon crystallinity in O−G are two key factors for the high catalytic performance of the 2 e⁻ ORR. However, the general preparing method of O−G by the precursor of graphite has the disadvantages of consuming massive strong oxidant and washing water. Herein, the biomass-based graphene with tunable oxygen species is rapidly fabricated by a CO₂ laser. In a flow cell setup, the laser-induced graphene (LIG) with abundant active oxygen species and graphene structure shows high catalytic performance including high Faraday efficiency (over 78 %) and high mass activity (814 mmolg_catalyst⁻¹ h⁻¹), superior to most of the reported carbon-based electrocatalysts. Density function theory demonstrates the meta-C atoms at nearby C−O, O−C=O species are the key catalytic sites. Therefore, we develop one facile method to rapidly convert biomass to graphene electrocatalyst used for H₂O₂ synthesis.     

Spectroscopic Identification of Active Sites of Oxygen-Doped Carbon for Selective Oxygen Reduction to Hydrogen Peroxide

The electrochemical synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) via a two-electron (2 e⁻) oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) process provides a promising alternative to replace the energy-intensive anthraquinone process. Herein, we develop a facile template-protected strategy to synthesize a highly active quinone-rich porous carbon catalyst for H₂O₂ electrochemical production. The optimized PCC₉₀₀ material exhibits remarkable activity and selectivity, of which the onset potential reaches 0.83 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode in 0.1 M KOH and the H₂O₂ selectivity is over 95 % in a wide potential range. Comprehensive synchrotron-based near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy combined with electrocatalytic characterizations reveals the positive correlation between quinone content and 2 e⁻ ORR performance. The effectiveness of chair-form quinone groups as the most efficient active sites is highlighted by the molecule-mimic strategy and theoretical analysis.     

Electrocatalyst design for promoting two-electron oxygen reduction reaction: Isolation of active site atoms

Selective two-electron (2 e^?) pathway oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has gained prominence for enabling small-scale, on-site electrochemical H₂O₂ production and has emerged as a promising alternative to the conventional anthraquinone process. The rational design of catalysts that can suppress the competing four-electron pathway ORR is critical. This review highlights catalyst design strategies for promoting the selective 2 e^? pathway ORR, including alloying with inert metals, partial surface poisoning, and generating atomically dispersed sites. The major results and advances, as well as unresolved challenges are summarized.     

Insight into Iron Leaching from an Ascorbate-Oxidase-like Fe−N−C Nanozyme and Oxygen Reduction Selectivity**

Ascorbate (H₂A) is a well-known antioxidant to protect cellular components from free radical damage and has also emerged as a pro-oxidant in cancer therapies. However, such “contradictory” mechanisms underlying H₂A oxidation are not well understood. Herein, we report Fe leaching during catalytic H₂A oxidation using an Fe−N−C nanozyme as a ferritin mimic and its influence on the selectivity of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Owing to the heterogeneity, the Fe-N_x sites in Fe−N−C primarily catalyzed H₂A oxidation and 4 e⁻ ORR via an iron-oxo intermediate. Nonetheless, trace O₂⋅⁻ produced by marginal N−C sites through 2 e⁻ ORR accumulated and attacked Fe-N_x sites, leading to the linear leakage of unstable Fe ions up to 420 ppb when the H₂A concentration increased to 2 mM. As a result, a substantial fraction (ca. 40 %) of the N−C sites on Fe−N−C were activated, and a new 2+2 e⁻ ORR path was finally enabled, along with Fenton-type H₂A oxidation. Consequently, after Fe ions diffused into the bulk solution, the ORR at the N−C sites stopped at H₂O₂ production, which was the origin of the pro-oxidant effect of H₂A.     

Promoting Piezocatalytic H2O2 Production in Pure Water by Loading Metal-Organic Cage-Modified Gold Nanoparticles on Graphitic Carbon Nitride

Piezocatalytic hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) production is a green synthesis method, but the rapid complexation of charge carriers in piezocatalysts and the difficulty of adsorbing substrates limit its performance. Here, metal-organic cage-coated gold nanoparticles are anchored on graphitic carbon nitride (MOC-AuNP/g-C₃N₄) via hydrogen bond to serve as the multifunctional sites for efficient H₂O₂ production. Experiments and theoretical calculations prove that MOC-AuNP/g-C₃N₄ simultaneously optimize three key parts of piezocatalytic H₂O₂ production: i) the MOC component enhances substrate (O₂) and product (H₂O₂) adsorption via host–guest interaction and hinders the rapid decomposition of H₂O₂ on MOC-AuNP/g-C₃N₄, ii) the AuNP component affords a strong interfacial electric field that significantly promotes the migration of electrons from g-C₃N₄ for O₂ reduction reaction (ORR), iii) holes are used for H₂O oxidation reaction (WOR) to produce O₂ and H⁺ to further promote ORR. Thus, MOC-AuNP/g-C₃N₄ can be used as an efficient piezocatalyst to generate H₂O₂ at rates up to 120.21 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ in air and pure water without using sacrificial agents. This work proposes a new strategy for efficient piezocatalytic H₂O₂ synthesis by constructing multiple active sites in semiconductor catalysts via hydrogen bonding, by enhancing substrate adsorption, rapid separation of electron-hole pairs and preventing rapid decomposition of H₂O₂.     

A Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for OER and ORR based on a Cobalt(II) Triazole Pyridine Bis-[Cobalt(III) Corrole] Complex

As alternative energy sources are essential to reach a climate-neutral economy, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) as futuristic energy carrier gains enormous awareness. However, seeking for stable and electrochemically selective H₂O₂ ORR electrocatalyst is yet a challenge, making the design of—ideally—bifunctional catalysts extremely important and outmost of interest. In this study, we explore the application of a trimetallic cobalt(II) triazole pyridine bis-[cobalt(III) corrole] complex Co^IITP[Co^IIIC]₂ 3 in OER and ORR catalysis due to its remarkable physicochemical properties, fast charge transfer kinetics, electrochemical reversibility, and durability. With nearly 100 % selective catalytic activity towards the two-electron transfer generated H₂O₂, an ORR onset potential of 0.8 V vs RHE and a cycling stability of 50 000 cycles are detected. Similarly, promising results are obtained when applied in OER catalysis. A relatively low overpotential at 10 mA cm⁻² of 412 mV, Faraday efficiency 98 % for oxygen, an outstanding Tafel slope of 64 mV dec⁻¹ combined with superior stability.     

Uncovering Dynamic Edge-Sites in Atomic Co−N−C Electrocatalyst for Selective Hydrogen Peroxide Production

Understanding the nature of single-atom catalytic sites and identifying their spectroscopic fingerprints are essential prerequisites for the rational design of target catalysts. Here, we apply correlated in situ X-ray absorption and infrared spectroscopy to probe the edge-site-specific chemistry of Co−N−C electrocatalyst during the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) operation. The unique edge-hosted architecture affords single-atom Co site remarkable structural flexibility with adapted dynamic oxo adsorption and valence state shuttling between Co^(2−δ)+ and Co²⁺, in contrast to the rigid in-plane embedded Co₁−N_x counterpart. Theoretical calculations demonstrate that the synergistic interplay of in situ reconstructed Co₁−N₂-oxo with peripheral oxygen groups gives a rise to the near-optimal adsorption of *OOH intermediate and substantially increases the activation barrier for its dissociation, accounting for a robust acidic ORR activity and 2e⁻ selectivity for H₂O₂ production.     

One-Dimensional Covalent Organic Frameworks for the 2e− Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (2D COFs) are often employed for electrocatalytic systems because of their structural diversity. However, the efficiency of atom utilization is still in need of improvement, because the catalytic centers are located in the basal layers and it is difficult for the electrolytes to access them. Herein, we demonstrate the use of 1D COFs for the 2e⁻ oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The use of different four-connectivity blocks resulted in the prepared 1D COFs displaying good crystallinity, high surface areas, and excellent chemical stability. The more exposed catalytic sites resulted in the 1D COFs showing large electrochemically active surface areas, 4.8-fold of that of a control 2D COF, and thus enabled catalysis of the ORR with a higher H₂O₂ selectivity of 85.8 % and activity, with a TOF value of 0.051 s⁻¹ at 0.2 V, than a 2D COF (72.9 % and 0.032 s⁻¹). This work paves the way for the development of COFs with low dimensions for electrocatalysis.     

Singlet Oxygen Induced Site-Specific Etching Boosts Nitrogen-Carbon Sites for High-Efficiency Oxygen Reduction

Targeted construction of carbon defects near the N dopants is an intriguing but challenging way to boost the electrocatalytic activity of N-doped carbon toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Here, we report a novel site-specific etching strategy that features targeted anchoring of singlet oxygen (¹O₂) on the N-adjacent atoms to directionally construct topological carbon defects neighboring the N dopants in N-doped carbon (¹O₂−N/C). This ¹O₂−N/C exhibits the highest ORR half-wave potential of 0.915 V_RHE among all the reported metal-free carbon catalysts. Pyridinic-N bonded with a carbon pentagon of the neighboring topological carbon defects is identified as the primary active configuration, rendering enhanced adsorption of O₂, optimized adsorption energy of the ORR intermediates, and a significantly decreased total energy barrier for ORR. This ¹O₂-induced site-specific etching strategy is also applicable to different precursors, showing a tremendous potential for targeted construction of high-efficiency active sites in carbon-based materials.     

Regulating Relative Nitrogen Locations of Diazine Functionalized Covalent Organic Frameworks for Overall H2O2 Photosynthesis

Nitrogen-heterocycle-based covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are considered promising candidates for the overall photosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). However, the effects of the relative nitrogen locations remain obscured and photocatalytic performances of COFs need to be further improved. Herein, a collection of COFs functionalized by various diazines including pyridazine, pyrimidine, and pyrazine have been judiciously designed and synthesized for photogeneration of H₂O₂ without sacrificial agents. Compared with pyrimidine and pyrazine, pyridazine embedded in TpDz tends to stabilize endoperoxide intermediate species, leading toward the more efficient direct 2e^- oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) pathway. Benefiting from the effective electron-hole separation, low charge transfer resistance, and high-efficiency ORR pathway, an excellent production rate of 7327 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ and a solar-to-chemical conversion (SCC) value of 0.62 % has been achieved by TpDz, which ranks one of the best COF-based photocatalysts. This work might shed fresh light on the rational design of functional COFs targeting photocatalysts in H₂O₂ production.     

A comparative DFT study of oxygen reduction reaction on mononuclear and binuclear cobalt and iron phthalocyanines

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyzed by mononuclear and planar binuclear cobalt (CoPc) and iron phthalocyanine (FePc) catalysts is investigated in detail by density functional theory (DFT) methods. The calculation results indicate that the ORR activity of Fe-based Pcs is much higher than that of Co-based Pcs, which is due to the fact that the former could catalyze 4e^- ORRs, while the latter could catalyze only 2e^- ORRs from O₂ to H₂O₂. The original high activities of Fe-based Pcs could be attributed to their high energy level of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), which could lead to the stronger adsorption energy between catalysts and ORR species. Nevertheless, the HOMO of Co-based Pcs is the ring orbital, not the 3d Co orbital, thereby inhibiting the electron transfer from metal to adsorbates. Furthermore, compared with mononuclear FePc, the planar binuclear FePc has more stable structure in acidic medium and more suitable adsorption energy of ORR species, making it a promising non-precious electrocatalyst for ORR.     

p-Block Bismuth Nanoclusters Sites Activated by Atomically Dispersed Bismuth for Tandem Boosting Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Peroxide Production

Constructing electrocatalysts with p-block elements is generally considered rather challenging owing to their closed d shells. Here for the first time, we present a p-block-element bismuth-based (Bi-based) catalyst with the co-existence of single-atomic Bi sites coordinated with oxygen (O) and sulfur (S) atoms and Bi nanoclusters (Bi_clu) (collectively denoted as BiOS_SA/Bi_clu) for the highly selective oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) into hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). As a result, BiOS_SA/Bi_clu gives a high H₂O₂ selectivity of 95 % in rotating ring-disk electrode, and a large current density of 36 mA cm⁻² at 0.15 V vs. RHE, a considerable H₂O₂ yield of 11.5 mg cm⁻² h⁻¹ with high H₂O₂ Faraday efficiency of ∼90 % at 0.3 V vs. RHE and a long-term durability of ∼22 h in H-cell test. Interestingly, the experimental data on site poisoning and theoretical calculations both revealed that, for BiOS_SA/Bi_clu, the catalytic active sites are on the Bi clusters, which are further activated by the atomically dispersed Bi coordinated with O and S atoms. This work demonstrates a new synergistic tandem strategy for advanced p-block-element Bi catalysts featuring atomic-level catalytic sites, and the great potential of rational material design for constructing highly active electrocatalysts based on p-block metals.