Sustainable photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide production over octonary high-entropy oxide.

Ling, Hao; Sun, Huacong; Lu, Lisha; Zhang, Jingkun; Liao, Lei; Wang, Jianlin; Zhang, Xiaowei; Lan, Yingying et al. · Nat Commun · 2024

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

The direct utilization of solar energy for the artificial photosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) provides a reliable approach for producing this high-value green oxidant. Here we report on the utility of high-entropy oxide (HEO) semiconductor as an all-in-one photocatalyst for visible light-driven H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> production directly from H<sub>2</sub>O and atmospheric O<sub>2</sub> without the need of any additional cocatalysts or sacrificial agents. This high-entropy photocatalyst contains eight earth-abundant metal elements (Ti/V/Cr/Nb/Mo/W/Al/Cu) homogeneously arranged within a single rutile phase, and the intrinsic chemical complexity along with the presence of a high density of oxygen vacancies endow high-entropy photocatalyst with distinct broadband light harvesting capability. An efficient H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> production rate with an apparent quantum yield of 38.8% at 550 nm can be achieved. The high-entropy photocatalyst can be readily assembled into floating artificial leaves for sustained on-site production of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> from open water resources under natural sunlight irradiation.