Enhanced electrocatalytic performance for H2O2 generation by boron-doped porous carbon hollow spheres

Zhaohui Wang; Zehan Sun; Kun Li; Keyi Fan; Tian Tian; Haomin Jiang; Honglei Jin; Ang Li; Yang Tang; Yanzhi Sun; Pingyu Wan; Yongmei Chen

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2024.109553

Enhanced electrocatalytic performance for H₂O₂ generation by boron-doped porous carbon hollow spheres

iScience. 2024 Mar 23;27(4):109553. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109553. eCollection 2024 Apr 19.

Authors

Zhaohui Wang¹, Zehan Sun^{1

2}, Kun Li¹, Keyi Fan¹, Tian Tian¹, Haomin Jiang³, Honglei Jin¹, Ang Li¹, Yang Tang¹, Yanzhi Sun¹, Pingyu Wan¹, Yongmei Chen¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Applied Electrochemistry, College of Chemistry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China.
² State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P.R. China.
³ Center for Advanced Materials Research, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai 519087, P.R. China.

Abstract

Electrocatalytic generation of H₂O₂ via the 2-electron pathway of oxygen reduction reaction (2e-ORR) is an attractive technology compared to the anthraquinone process due to convenience and environmental friendliness. However, catalysts with excellent selectivity and high activity for 2e-ORR are necessary for practical applications. Reported here is a catalyst comprising boron-doped porous carbon hollow spheres (B-PCHSs) prepared using the hard template method coupled with borate transesterification. In an alkali electrolyte, the selectivity of B-PCHS for 2e-ORR above 90% in range of 0.4-0.7 V_RHE and an onset potential of 0.833 V was obtained. Meanwhile, the generation rate of H₂O₂ reached 902.48 mmol h^-1 g_cat^-1 at 0.4 V_RHE under 59.13 mA cm^-2 in batch electrolysis. The excellent catalytic selectivity of B-PCHS for 2e-ORR originates from the boron element, and the catalytic activity of B-PCHS for H₂O₂ generation is contributed to the morphology of porous hollow spheres, which facilitates mass transfer processes.

Keywords: Chemistry; Electrochemistry.