Enhanced electroproduction of hydrogen peroxide with oxidized boron-doped carbon catalysts synthesized from gaseous CO2.

As an eco-friendly alternative to the conventional anthraquinone process, electrochemical production of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) through the oxygen reduction reaction has been attracting attention. The goal of this work is to derive a carbon-based material from carbon dioxide (CO 2) to achieve high performance in electrochemical H 2 O 2 production. Doping heterogeneous element such as oxygen on a carbon catalyst has been mainly explored to increase the selectivity and activity, but little research has been conducted on enhancing catalytic activity with oxidized boron insertion. This study proposes porous carbon materials synthesized from CO 2 as electrocatalysts. Polyethylene oxide (PEO) was thermally treated together to increase the boron-oxygen bonding sites. As a result, the synthesized carbon materials having oxidized boron functional groups of BC 2 O and BCO 2 showed high activity (1.25 mA cm⁻²) and selectivity (∼90 %) over a wide voltage range in two-electron ORR (Oxygen Reduction Reaction) at alkaline media. Furthermore, in an H-cell where 0.4 V vs. RHE was applied, the average H 2 O 2 production rate was maintained at 452.96 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ for four hours with a high faraday efficiency of 90 %. • Oxidized B-doped carbon was employed as an electrocatalyst for 2e^- ORR. • The electrocatalyst was derived from CO 2 reduction. • B-doped configurations were varied through the thermal degradation of polymer. • Oxidized boron sites (BCO 2 and BC 2 O) are the most active for 2e^- ORR. • The H-cell system marked enhanced H 2 O 2 selectivity (90 %) and productivity (452.96 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]