CoIn dual-atom catalyst for hydrogen peroxide production via oxygen reduction reaction in acid.

Du, Jiannan; Han, Guokang; Zhang, Wei; Li, Lingfeng; Yan, Yuqi; Shi, Yaoxuan; Zhang, Xue; Geng, Lin et al. · Nat Commun · 2023

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

The two-electron oxygen reduction reaction in acid is highly attractive to produce H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>, a commodity chemical vital in various industry and household scenarios, which is still hindered by the sluggish reaction kinetics. Herein, both density function theory calculation and in-situ characterization demonstrate that in dual-atom CoIn catalyst, O-affinitive In atom triggers the favorable and stable adsorption of hydroxyl, which effectively optimizes the adsorption of OOH on neighboring Co. As a result, the oxygen reduction on Co atoms shifts to two-electron pathway for efficient H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> production in acid. The H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> partial current density reaches 1.92 mA cm<sup>-2</sup> at 0.65 V in the rotating ring-disk electrode test, while the H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> production rate is as high as 9.68 mol g<sup>-1</sup> h<sup>-1</sup> in the three-phase flow cell. Additionally, the CoIn-N-C presents excellent stability during the long-term operation, verifying the practicability of the CoIn-N-C catalyst. This work provides inspiring insights into the rational design of active catalysts for H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> production and other catalytic systems.