Effect of Nitrogen Species in Graphite Carbon Nitride on Hydrogen Peroxide Production

Abstract

Abstract Electrochemical oxygen reduction for producing clean hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) is a promising alternative approach to the industrial anthraquinone method. At present, the most pressing challenge is the development of oxygen reduction electrocatalysts with sufficient activity, stability, and 2e − pathway selectivity. Here, the electrocatalytic properties of a series of graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C 3 N 4 ) catalysts with different concentrations of nitrogen species (CNC and N(C) 3 ) are explored for H 2 O 2 production. Electrochemical studies show that the selectivity of g‐C 3 N 4 for hydrogen peroxide generation in alkaline electrolytes reaches ≈90%. To explain the observed results, the structure, composition, and physical and chemical properties of g‐C 3 N 4 catalysts synthesized from different precursors are compared with their electrocatalytic performance. This research contributes to the discovery and design of a high‐performance nitrogen‐doped carbon catalysts for the production of hydrogen peroxide.