Turning the Inert Element Zinc into an Active Single-Atom Catalyst for Efficient Fenton-Like Chemistry

Amongst various Fenton-like single-atom catalysts (SACs), the zinc (Zn)-related SACs have been barely reported due to the fully occupied 3d¹⁰ configuration of Zn²⁺ being inactive for the Fenton-like reaction. Herein, the inert element Zn is turned into an active single-atom catalyst (SA−Zn−NC) for Fenton-like chemistry by forming an atomic Zn−N₄ coordination structure. The SA−Zn−NC shows admirable Fenton-like activity in organic pollutant remediation, including self-oxidation and catalytic degradation by superoxide radical (O₂⋅⁻) and singlet oxygen (¹O₂). Experimental and theoretical results unveiled that the single-atomic Zn−N₄ site with electron acquisition can transfer electrons donated by electron-rich pollutants and low-concentration PMS toward dissolved oxygen (DO) to actuate DO reduction into O₂⋅⁻ and successive conversion into ¹O₂. This work inspires an exploration of efficient and stable Fenton-like SACs for sustainable and resource-saving environmental applications.     

Identification of the Active Sites on Metallic MoO2−x Nano-Sea-Urchin for Atmospheric CO2 Photoreduction Under UV,Visible, and Near-Infrared Light Illumination

We report an oxygen vacancy (V_o)-rich metallic MoO_2−x nano-sea-urchin with partially occupied band, which exhibits super CO₂ (even directly from the air) photoreduction performance under UV, visible and near-infrared (NIR) light illumination. The V_o-rich MoO_2−x nano-sea-urchin displays a CH₄ evolution rate of 12.2 and 5.8 μmol g_catalyst⁻¹ h⁻¹ under full spectrum and NIR light illumination in concentrated CO₂, which is ca. 7- and 10-fold higher than the V_o-poor MoO_2−x, respectively. More interestingly, the as-developed V_o-rich MoO_2−x nano-sea-urchin can even reduce CO₂ directly from the air with a CO evolution rate of 6.5 μmol g_catalyst⁻¹ h⁻¹ under NIR light illumination. Experiments together with theoretical calculations demonstrate that the oxygen vacancy in MoO_2−x can facilitate CO₂ adsorption/activation to generate *COOH as well as the subsequent protonation of *CO towards the formation of CH₄ because of the formation of a highly stable Mo−C−O−Mo intermediate.     

Photo-thermal Cooperative Carbonylation of Ethanol with CO2 on Cu2O-SrTiCuO3-x

Carbonylation of ethanol with CO₂ as carbonyl source into value-added esters is of considerable significance and interest, while remains of great challenge due to the harsh conditions for activation of inert CO₂ in that the harsh conditions result in undesired activation of α-C−H and even cleavage of C−C bond in ethanol to deteriorate the specific activation of O−H bond. Herein, we propose a photo-thermal cooperative strategy for carbonylation of ethanol with CO₂, in which CO₂ is activated to reactive CO via photo-catalysis with the assistance of *H from thermally-catalyzed dissociation of alcoholic O−H bond. To achieve this proposal, an interfacial site and oxygen vacancy both abundant SrTiCuO_3-x supported Cu₂O (Cu₂O-SrTiCuO_3-x) has been designed. A production of up to 320 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ for ethyl formate with a selectivity of 85.6 % to targeted alcoholic O−H activation has been afforded in photo-thermal assisted gas-solid process under 3.29 W cm⁻¹ of UV/Vis light irradiation (144 °C) and 0.2 MPa CO₂. In the photo-driven activation of CO₂ and following carbonylation, CO₂ activation energy decreases to 12.6 kJ mol⁻¹, and the cleavage of alcoholic α-C−H bond has been suppressed.     

Infrared Multiple Photon Dissociation Spectroscopy of Hydrated Cobalt Anions Doped with Carbon Dioxide CoCO2(H2O)n−, n=1–10, in the C−O Stretch Region

We investigate anionic [Co,CO₂,nH₂O]⁻ clusters as model systems for the electrochemical activation of CO₂ by infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy in the range of 1250–2234 cm⁻¹ using an FT-ICR mass spectrometer. We show that both CO₂ and H₂O are activated in a significant fraction of the [Co,CO₂,H₂O]⁻ clusters since it dissociates by CO loss, and the IR spectrum exhibits the characteristic C−O stretching frequency. About 25 % of the ion population can be dissociated by pumping the C−O stretching mode. With the help of quantum chemical calculations, we assign the structure of this ion as Co(CO)(OH)₂⁻. However, calculations find Co(HCOO)(OH)⁻ as the global minimum, which is stable against IRMPD under the conditions of our experiment. Weak features around 1590–1730 cm⁻¹ are most likely due to higher lying isomers of the composition Co(HOCO)(OH)⁻. Upon additional hydration, all species [Co,CO₂,nH₂O]⁻, n≥2, undergo IRMPD through loss of H₂O molecules as a relatively weakly bound messenger. The main spectral features are the C−O stretching mode of the CO ligand around 1900 cm⁻¹, the water bending mode mixed with the antisymmetric C−O stretching mode of the HCOO⁻ ligand around 1580–1730 cm⁻¹, and the symmetric C−O stretching mode of the HCOO⁻ ligand around 1300 cm⁻¹. A weak feature above 2000 cm⁻¹ is assigned to water combination bands. The spectral assignment clearly indicates the presence of at least two distinct isomers for n ≥2.     

Activation of Molecular O2 on CoFe2O4 (001) Surfaces: An Embedded Cluster Study

Dioxygen activation pathways on the (001) surfaces of cobalt ferrite, CoFe₂O₄, were investigated computationally using density functional theory and the hybrid Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof exchange-correlation functional (PBE0) within the periodic electrostatic embedded cluster model. We considered two terminations: the A-layer exposing Fe²⁺ and Co²⁺ metal sites in tetrahedral and octahedral positions, respectively, and the B-layer exposing octahedrally coordinated Co³⁺. On the A-layer, molecular oxygen is chemisorbed as a superoxide on the Fe monocenter or bridging a Fe−Co cation pair, whereas on the B-layer it is adsorbed at the most stable anionic vacancy. Activation is promoted by transfer of electrons provided by the d metal centers onto the adsorbed oxygen. The subsequent dissociation of dioxygen into monoatomic species and surface reoxidation have been identified as the most critical steps that may limit the rate of the oxidation processes. Of the reactive metal-O species, [Fe^III−O]²⁺ is thermodynamically most stable, while the oxygen of the Co−O species may easily migrate across the A-layer with barriers smaller than the associative desorption.     

One-Step Approach for Constructing High-Density Single-Atom Catalysts toward Overall Water Splitting at Industrial Current Densities

The construction of highly active, durable, and cost-effective catalysts is urgently needed for green hydrogen production. Herein, catalysts consisting of high-density Pt (24 atoms nm⁻²) and Ir (32 atoms nm⁻²) single atoms anchored on Co(OH)₂ were constructed by a facile one-step approach. Remarkably, Pt₁/Co(OH)₂ and Ir₁/Co(OH)₂ only required 4 and 178 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² for hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction, respectively. Moreover, the assembled Pt₁/Co(OH)₂//Ir₁/Co(OH)₂ system showed mass activity of 4.9 A mg_{noble metal}⁻¹ at 2.0 V in an alkaline water electrolyzer, which is 316.1 times higher than that of Pt/C//IrO₂. Mechanistic studies revealed that reconstructed Ir−O₆ single atoms and remodeled Pt triple-atom sites enhanced the occupancy of Ir−O bonding orbitals and improved the occupation of Pt−H antibonding orbital, respectively, contributing to the formation of the O−O bond and the desorption of hydrogen. This one-step approach was also generalized to fabricate other 20 single-atom catalysts.     

Solar-Driven CO2 Conversion via Optimized Photothermal Catalysis in a Lotus Pod Structure

Photothermal CO₂ reduction is one of the most promising routes to efficiently utilize solar energy for fuel production at high rates. However, this reaction is currently limited by underdeveloped catalysts with low photothermal conversion efficiency, insufficient exposure of active sites, low active material loading, and high material cost. Herein, we report a potassium-modified carbon-supported cobalt (K⁺−Co−C) catalyst mimicking the structure of a lotus pod that addresses these challenges. As a result of the designed lotus-pod structure which features an efficient photothermal C substrate with hierarchical pores, an intimate Co/C interface with covalent bonding, and exposed Co catalytic sites with optimized CO binding strength, the K⁺−Co−C catalyst shows a record-high photothermal CO₂ hydrogenation rate of 758 mmol g_cat⁻¹ h⁻¹ (2871 mmol g_Co⁻¹ h⁻¹) with a 99.8 % selectivity for CO, three orders of magnitude higher than typical photochemical CO₂ reduction reactions. We further demonstrate with this catalyst effective CO₂ conversion under natural sunlight one hour before sunset during the winter season, putting forward an important step towards practical solar fuel production.     

Co0−Coδ+ Interface Double-Site-Mediated C−C Coupling for the Photothermal Conversion of CO2 into Light Olefins

Solar-driven CO₂ hydrogenation into multi-carbon products is a highly desirable, but challenging reaction. The bottleneck of this reaction lies in the C−C coupling of C₁ intermediates. Herein, we construct the C−C coupling centre for C₁ intermediates via the in situ formation of Co⁰−Co^δ+ interface double sites on MgAl₂O₄ (Co−CoO_x/MAO). Our experimental and theoretical prediction results confirmed the effective adsorption and activation of CO₂ by the Co⁰ site to produce C₁ intermediates, while the introduction of the electron-deficient state of Co^δ+ can effectively reduce the energy barrier of the key CHCH* intermediates. Consequently, Co−CoO_x/MAO exhibited a high C_2–4 hydrocarbons production rate of 1303 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹; the total organic carbon selectivity of C_2–4 hydrocarbons is 62.5 % under light irradiation with a high ratio (≈11) of olefin to paraffin. This study provides a new approach toward the design of photocatalysts used for CO₂ conversion into C₂₊ products.     

Controlled Synthesis of a Vacancy-Defect Single-Atom Catalyst for Boosting CO2 Electroreduction

The reaction of precursors containing both nitrogen and oxygen atoms with Ni^II under 500 °C can generate a N/O mixing coordinated Ni-N₃O single-atom catalyst (SAC) in which the oxygen atom can be gradually removed under high temperature due to the weaker Ni−O interaction, resulting in a vacancy-defect Ni-N₃-V SAC at Ni site under 800 °C. For the reaction of Ni^II with the precursor simply containing nitrogen atoms, only a no-vacancy-defect Ni-N₄ SAC was obtained. Experimental and DFT calculations reveal that the presence of a vacancy-defect in Ni-N₃-V SAC can dramatically boost the electrocatalytic activity for CO₂ reduction, with extremely high CO₂ reduction current density of 65 mA cm⁻² and high Faradaic efficiency over 90 % at −0.9 V vs. RHE, as well as a record high turnover frequency of 1.35×10⁵ h⁻¹, much higher than those of Ni-N₄ SAC, and being one of the best reported electrocatalysts for CO₂-to-CO conversion to date.     

Triangle Cl−Ag1−Cl Sites for Superior Photocatalytic Molecular Oxygen Activation and NO Oxidation of BiOCl

BiOCl photocatalysis shows great promise for molecular oxygen activation and NO oxidation, but its selective transformation of NO to immobilized nitrate without toxic NO₂ emission is still a great challenge, because of uncontrollable reaction intermediates and pathways. In this study, we demonstrate that the introduction of triangle Cl−Ag₁−Cl sites on a Cl-terminated, (001) facet-exposed BiOCl can selectively promote one-electron activation of reactant molecular oxygen to intermediate superoxide radicals (⋅O₂⁻), and also shift the adsorption configuration of product NO₃⁻ from the weak monodentate binding mode to a strong bidentate mode to avoid unfavorable photolysis. By simultaneously tuning intermediates and products, the Cl−Ag₁−Cl-landen BiOCl achieved >90 % NO conversion to favorable NO₃⁻ of high selectivity (>97 %) in 10 min under visible light, with the undesired NO₂ concentration below 20 ppb. Both the activity and the selectivity of Cl−Ag₁−Cl sites surpass those of BiOCl surface sites (38 % NO conversion, 67 % NO₃⁻ selectivity) or control O−Ag₁−O sites on a benchmark photocatalyst P25 (67 % NO conversion and 87 % NO₃⁻ selectivity). This study develops new single-atom sites for the performance enhancement of semiconductor photocatalysts, and also provides a facile pathway to manipulate the reactive oxygen species production for efficient pollutant removal.     

Co−Co Dinuclear Active Sites Dispersed on Zirconium-doped Heterostructured Co9S8/Co3O4 for High-current-density and Durable Acidic Oxygen Evolution

Developing cost-effective and sustainable acidic water oxidation catalysts requires significant advances in material design and in-depth mechanism understanding for proton exchange membrane water electrolysis. Herein, we developed a single atom regulatory strategy to construct Co−Co dinuclear active sites (DASs) catalysts that atomically dispersed zirconium doped Co₉S₈/Co₃O₄ heterostructure. The X-ray absorption fine structure elucidated the incorporation of Zr greatly facilitated the generation of Co−Co DASs layer with stretching of cobalt oxygen bond and S−Co−O heterogeneous grain boundaries interfaces, engineering attractive activity of significantly reduced overpotential of 75 mV at 10 mA cm⁻², a breakthrough of 500 mA cm⁻² high current density, and water splitting stability of 500 hours in acid, making it one of the best-performing acid-stable OER non-noble metal materials. The optimized catalyst with interatomic Co−Co distance (ca. 2.80 Å) followed oxo-oxo coupling mechanism that involved obvious oxygen bridges on dinuclear Co sites (1,090 cm⁻¹), confirmed by in situ SR-FTIR, XAFS and theoretical simulations. Furthermore, a major breakthrough of 120,000 mA g⁻¹ high mass current density using the first reported noble metal-free cobalt anode catalyst of Co−Co DASs/ZCC in PEM-WE at 2.14 V was recorded.     

C−H Activation by Iron-Vanadium Bimetallic Oxide Cluster Anions FeV3O10− and FeV5O15−: A Comparison with Scandium-Vanadium Oxide Clusters

Late transition metal-bonded atomic oxygen radicals (LTM−O⋅⁻) have been frequently proposed as important active sites to selectively activate and transform inert alkane molecules. However, it is extremely challenging to characterize the LTM−O⋅⁻-mediated elementary reactions for clarifying the underlying mechanisms limited by the low activity of LTM−O⋅⁻ radicals that is inaccessible by the traditional experimental methods. Herein, benefiting from our newly-designed ship-lock type reactor, the reactivity of iron-vanadium bimetallic oxide cluster anions FeV₃O₁₀⁻ and FeV₅O₁₅⁻ featuring with Fe−O⋅⁻ radicals to abstract a hydrogen atom from C₂−C₄ alkanes has been experimentally characterized at 298 K, and the rate constants are determined in the orders of magnitude of 10⁻¹⁴ to 10⁻¹⁶ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, which are four orders of magnitude slower than the values of counterpart ScV₃O₁₀⁻ and ScV₅O₁₅⁻ clusters bearing Sc−O⋅⁻ radicals. Theoretical results reveal that the rearrangements of the electronic and geometric structures during the reaction process function to modulate the activity of Fe−O⋅⁻. This study not only quantitatively characterizes the elementary reactions of LTM−O⋅⁻ radicals with alkanes, but also provides new insights into structure-activity relationship of M−O⋅⁻ radicals.     

Solar Hydrocarbons: Single-Step,Atmospheric-Pressure Synthesis of C2−C4 Alkanes and Alkenes from CO2

Cobalt ferrite (CoFe₂O₄) spinel has been found to produce C₂−C₄ hydrocarbons in a single-step, ambient-pressure, photocatalytic hydrogenation of CO₂ with a rate of 1.1 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, selectivity of 29.8 % and conversion yield of 12.9 %. On stream the CoFe₂O₄ reconstructs to a CoFe−CoFe₂O₄ alloy-spinel nanocomposite which facilitates the light-assisted transformation of CO₂ to CO and hydrogenation of the CO to C₂−C₄ hydrocarbons. Promising results obtained from a laboratory demonstrator bode well for the development of a solar hydrocarbon pilot refinery.     

Carbon-Based Electron Buffer Layer on ZnOx−Fe5C2−Fe3O4 Boosts Ethanol Synthesis from CO2 Hydrogenation

The conversion of CO₂ into ethanol with renewable H₂ has attracted tremendous attention due to its integrated functions of carbon elimination and chemical synthesis, but remains challenging. The electronic properties of a catalyst are essential to determine the adsorption strength and configuration of the key intermediates, therefore altering the reaction network for targeted synthesis. Herein, we describe a catalytic system in which a carbon buffer layer is employed to tailor the electronic properties of the ternary ZnO_x−Fe₅C₂−Fe₃O₄, in which the electron-transfer pathway (ZnO_x→Fe species or carbon layer) ensures the appropriate adsorption strength of −CO* on the catalytic interface, facilitating C−C coupling between −CH_x* and −CO* for ethanol synthesis. Benefiting from this unique electron-transfer buffering effect, an extremely high ethanol yield of 366.6 g_EtOH kg_cat⁻¹ h⁻¹ (with CO of 10 vol % co-feeding) is achieved from CO₂ hydrogenation. This work provides a powerful electronic modulation strategy for catalyst design in terms of highly oriented synthesis.     

Non-Interacting Ni and Fe Dual-Atom Pair Sites in N-Doped Carbon Catalysts for Efficient Concentrating Solar-Driven Photothermal CO2 Reduction

Solar-to-chemical energy conversion under weak solar irradiation is generally difficult to meet the heat demand of CO₂ reduction. Herein, a new concentrated solar-driven photothermal system coupling a dual-metal single-atom catalyst (DSAC) with adjacent Ni−N₄ and Fe−N₄ pair sites is designed for boosting gas-solid CO₂ reduction with H₂O under simulated solar irradiation, even under ambient sunlight. As expected, the (Ni, Fe)−N−C DSAC exhibits a superior photothermal catalytic performance for CO₂ reduction to CO (86.16 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹), CH₄ (135.35 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹) and CH₃OH (59.81 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹), which are equivalent to 1.70-fold, 1.27-fold and 1.23-fold higher than those of the Fe−N−C catalyst, respectively. Based on theoretical simulations, the Fermi level and d-band center of Fe atom is efficiently regulated in non-interacting Ni and Fe dual-atom pair sites with electronic interaction through electron orbital hybridization on (Ni, Fe)−N−C DSAC. Crucially, the distance between adjacent Ni and Fe atoms of the Ni−N−N−Fe configuration means that the additional Ni atom as a new active site contributes to the main *COOH and *HCO₃ dissociation to optimize the corresponding energy barriers in the reaction process, leading to specific dual reaction pathways (COOH and HCO₃ pathways) for solar-driven photothermal CO₂ reduction to initial CO production.     

Accelerated Surface Reconstruction through Regulating the Solid-Liquid Interface by Oxyanions in Perovskite Electrocatalysts for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution

A comprehensive understanding of surface reconstruction was critical to developing high performance lattice oxygen oxidation mechanism (LOM) based perovskite electrocatalysts. Traditionally, the primary determining factor of the surface reconstruction process was believed to be the oxygen vacancy formation energy. Hence, most previous studies focused on optimizing composition to reduce the oxygen vacancy formation energy, which in turn facilitated the surface reconstruction process. Here, for the first time, we found that adding oxyanions (SO₄²⁻, CO₃²⁻, NO₃⁻) into the electrolyte could effectively regulate the solid–liquid interface, significantly accelerating the surface reconstruction process and enhancing oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activities. Further studies indicated that the added oxyanions would adsorb onto the solid–liquid interface layer, disrupting the dynamic equilibrium between the adsorbed OH⁻ ions and the OH⁻ ions generated during surface reconstruction process. As such, the OH⁻ ions generated during surface reconstruction process could be more readily released into the electrolyte, thereby leading to an acceleration of the surface reconstruction. Thus, it was expected that our finding would provide a new layer of understanding to the surface reconstruction process in LOM-based perovskite electrocatalysts.     

Regulating Efficient and Selective Single-atom Catalysts for Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction

Anchoring transition metal (TM) atoms on suitable substrates to form single-atom catalysts (SACs) is a novel approach to constructing electrocatalysts. Graphdiyne with sp−sp² hybridized carbon atoms and uniformly distributed pores have been considered as a potential carbon material for supporting metal atoms in a variety of catalytic processes. Herein, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to study the single TM atom anchoring on graphdiyne (TM₁−GDY, TM=Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co and Cu) as the catalysts for CO₂ reduction. After anchoring metal atoms on GDY, the catalytic activity of TM₁−GDY (TM=Mn, Co and Cu) for CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) are significantly improved comparing with the pristine GDY. Among the studied TM₁−GDY, Cu₁−GDY shows excellent electrocatalytic activity for CO₂ reduction for which the product is HCOOH and the limiting potential (U_L) is −0.16 V. Mn₁−GDY and Co₁−GDY exhibit superior catalytic selectivity for CO₂ reduction to CH₄ with U_L of −0.62 and −0.34 V, respectively. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by TM₁−GDY (TM=Mn, Co and Cu) occurs on carbon atoms, while the active sites of CO₂RR are the transition metal atoms . The present work is expected to provide a solid theoretical basis for CO₂ conversion into valuable hydrocarbons.     

Enhanced Interfacial Electron Transfer by Asymmetric Cu-Ov-In Sites on In2O3 for Efficient Peroxymonosulfate Activation

Enhancing the peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation efficiency to generate more radicals is vital to promote the Fenton-like reaction activity, however, how to promote the PMS adsorption and accelerate the interfacial electron transfer to boost its activation kinetics remains a great challenge. Herein, we prepared Cu-doped defect-rich In₂O₃ (Cu-In₂O₃/O_v) catalysts containing asymmetric Cu−O_v−In sites for PMS activation in water purification. The intrinsic catalytic activity is that the side-on adsorption configuration of the O−O bond (Cu−O−O−In) at the Cu-O_v-In sites significantly stretches the O−O bond length. Meanwhile, the Cu-O_v-In sites increase the electron density near the Fermi energy level, promoting more and faster electron transfer to the O−O bond for generating more SO₄⋅⁻ and ⋅OH. The degradation rate constant of tetracycline achieved by Cu-In₂O₃/O_v is 31.8 times faster than In₂O₃/O_v, and it shows the possibility of membrane reactor for practical wastewater treatment.     

Sulfur-Modified Oxygen Vacancies in Iron–Cobalt Oxide Nanosheets: Enabling Extremely High Activity of the Oxygen Evolution Reaction to Achieve the Industrial Water Splitting Benchmark

The oxygen vacancies of defective iron–cobalt oxide (FeCoO_x-Vo) nanosheets are modified by the homogeneously distributed sulfur (S) atoms. S atoms can not only effectively stabilize oxygen vacancies (Vo), but also form the Co−S coordination with Co active site in the Vo, which can modulate the electronic structure of the active site, enabling FeCoO_x-Vo-S to exhibit much superior OER activity. FeCoO_x-Vo-S exhibits a mass activity of 2440.0 A g⁻¹ at 1.5 V vs. RHE in 1.0 m KOH, 25.4 times higher than that of RuO₂. The Tafel slope is as low as 21.0 mV dec⁻¹, indicative of its excellent charge transfer rate. When FeCoO_x-Vo-S (anode catalyst) is paired with the defective CoP₃/Ni₂P (cathode catalyst) for overall water splitting, current densities of as high as 249.0 mA cm⁻² and 406.0 mA cm⁻² at a cell voltage of 2.0 V and 2.3 V, respectively, can be achieved.     

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.