Atomically dispersed Fe–O4–C sites as efficient electrocatalysts for electrosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide

Abstract

The electrochemical reduction of oxygen via the 2e pathway is an environmentally friendly approach to the electrosynthesis of H₂O₂. Nevertheless, its sluggish kinetics and limited selectivity hinder its practical application. Herein, single Fe atoms anchored on graphene oxide (SA Fe/GO) with Fe–O₄–C sites are developed as an efficient electrocatalyst for the electro-synthesis of H₂O₂. These Fe–O₄–C site active centres could efficiently enhance the activity and selectivity towards 2e electrochemical oxygen reduction in an alkaline environment. The newly-developed SA Fe/GO electrocatalyst demonstrates exceptional electrochemical performance, exhibiting impressive activity with an onset potential of 0.90 and H₂O₂ production of 0.60 mg cm⁻² h⁻¹ at 0.4 V. Remarkably, it achieves a remarkable H₂O₂ selectivity of over 95.5%.