Issue 8, 2023

The operation active sites of O2 reduction to H2O2 over ZnO

Abstract

The two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e ORR) in neutral media is a promising method to achieve hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) from oxygen (O2) directly in a sustainable way. Here, we show an ideal ZnO@ZnO2 electrocatalyst for efficient O2 reduction to H2O2 in a neutral medium. The in situ growth of ZnO2 on ZnO forms the operation active sites, namely the heterogeneous interface between tetrahedral ZnO and octahedral ZnO2, weakening the binding energies of both OOH* and O*. In a 0.1 M K2SO4 electrolyte, ZnO@ZnO2 shows a H2O2 selectivity of nearly 100.0% via the ORR, while it can convert O2 to H2O2 with a production rate of 5.47 mol gcat−1 h−1 at 0.1 V vs. RHE and a Faraday efficiency (FE) of ∼95.5%, tested using a gas diffusion electrode device. The pulse voltage-induced current (PVC) was utilized in conjunction with a number of in situ characterization techniques and electrochemical studies to disclose the transformation of the ZnO surface and the production process of operational catalytic active sites on ZnO.

Graphical abstract: The operation active sites of O2 reduction to H2O2 over ZnO

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
02 Jun 2023
Accepted
29 Jun 2023
First published
30 Jun 2023

Energy Environ. Sci., 2023,16, 3526-3533

The operation active sites of O2 reduction to H2O2 over ZnO

Y. Zhou, L. Xu, J. Wu, W. Zhu, T. He, H. Yang, H. Huang, T. Cheng, Y. Liu and Z. Kang, Energy Environ. Sci., 2023, 16, 3526 DOI: 10.1039/D3EE01788E

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements