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Recent advances in electrochemical water oxidation to produce hydrogen peroxide: A mechanistic perspective

Recent advances in electrochemical water oxidation to produce hydrogen peroxide: A mechanistic perspective
Recent advances in electrochemical water oxidation to produce hydrogen peroxide: A mechanistic perspective

Electrochemical production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has recently gained traction as a green alternative to the unsustainable anthraquinone auto-oxidation process and the high-risk direct synthesis route. While the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e- ORR) toward H2O2 has been covered extensively in the literature, the unorthodox two-electron water oxidation reaction (2e- WOR) remains far less popular, due to the thermodynamic unfavorability of the pathway. Nonetheless, the 2e- WOR constitutes a coveted procedure as it enables the electro-generation of H2O2 solely from water. A thorough understanding of the reaction mechanism, including all intermediates and competing reaction routes, is essential for the fabrication of electrocatalysts, and assembly of electrochemical reactors, capable of greater H2O2 production rates with an optimal efficiency. This review focuses exclusively on the 2e- WOR to electrochemically produce H2O2. A summary of all prevailing water oxidation mechanisms is presented, supported with computational and experimental data, and key challenges and limitations that require attention are addressed.

Electrocatalyst, Electrochemical production, Hydrogen peroxide, Metal oxides, Reaction mechanism, Water oxidation reaction
2168-0485
76-91
Mavrikis, Sotirios
6b5b53fb-a664-4c2e-b17d-5c27850d6ea9
Perry, Samuel
8e204d86-4a9c-4a5d-9932-cf470174648e
Leung, Pui ki K
71c40c3f-3bbf-42ea-b850-5516d46891df
Wang, Ling
c50767b1-7474-4094-9b06-4fe64e9fe362
Ponce De Leon Albarran, Carlos
508a312e-75ff-4bcb-9151-dacc424d755c
Mavrikis, Sotirios
6b5b53fb-a664-4c2e-b17d-5c27850d6ea9
Perry, Samuel
8e204d86-4a9c-4a5d-9932-cf470174648e
Leung, Pui ki K
71c40c3f-3bbf-42ea-b850-5516d46891df
Wang, Ling
c50767b1-7474-4094-9b06-4fe64e9fe362
Ponce De Leon Albarran, Carlos
508a312e-75ff-4bcb-9151-dacc424d755c

Mavrikis, Sotirios, Perry, Samuel, Leung, Pui ki K, Wang, Ling and Ponce De Leon Albarran, Carlos (2021) Recent advances in electrochemical water oxidation to produce hydrogen peroxide: A mechanistic perspective. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 9 (1), 76-91. (doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c07263).

Record type: Review

Abstract

Electrochemical production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has recently gained traction as a green alternative to the unsustainable anthraquinone auto-oxidation process and the high-risk direct synthesis route. While the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e- ORR) toward H2O2 has been covered extensively in the literature, the unorthodox two-electron water oxidation reaction (2e- WOR) remains far less popular, due to the thermodynamic unfavorability of the pathway. Nonetheless, the 2e- WOR constitutes a coveted procedure as it enables the electro-generation of H2O2 solely from water. A thorough understanding of the reaction mechanism, including all intermediates and competing reaction routes, is essential for the fabrication of electrocatalysts, and assembly of electrochemical reactors, capable of greater H2O2 production rates with an optimal efficiency. This review focuses exclusively on the 2e- WOR to electrochemically produce H2O2. A summary of all prevailing water oxidation mechanisms is presented, supported with computational and experimental data, and key challenges and limitations that require attention are addressed.

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Recent Advances in Electrochemical Water Oxidation to Produce H2O2 A Mechanistic Perspective - Accepted Manuscript
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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 18 December 2020
e-pub ahead of print date: 18 December 2020
Published date: 11 January 2021
Additional Information: Funding Information: The University of Southampton is part of the CO-based electrosynthesis of ethylene oxide (COEXIDE) project consortium, which receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme in co-operation with the sustainable process industry through resource and energy efficiency (SPIRE) initiative under Grant Agreement No. 768789. 2 2 Publisher Copyright: © 2021 American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Electrocatalyst, Electrochemical production, Hydrogen peroxide, Metal oxides, Reaction mechanism, Water oxidation reaction

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 446966
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/446966
ISSN: 2168-0485
PURE UUID: 734cd72a-7bdb-446a-a29f-d0d641a545d8
ORCID for Samuel Perry: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6263-6114
ORCID for Ling Wang: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2894-6784
ORCID for Carlos Ponce De Leon Albarran: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-1907-5913

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 01 Mar 2021 17:30
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 06:19

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Contributors

Author: Sotirios Mavrikis
Author: Samuel Perry ORCID iD
Author: Pui ki K Leung
Author: Ling Wang ORCID iD

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