Direct electrosynthesis of pure aqueous H2O2 solutions up to 20% by weight using a solid electrolyte

Abstract

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) synthesis generally requires substantial postreaction purification. Here, we report a direct electrosynthesis strategy that delivers separate hydrogen (H₂) and oxygen (O₂) streams to an anode and cathode separated by a porous solid electrolyte, wherein the electrochemically generated H⁺ and HO₂ ^- recombine to form pure aqueous H₂O₂ solutions. By optimizing a functionalized carbon black catalyst for two-electron oxygen reduction, we achieved >90% selectivity for pure H₂O₂ at current densities up to 200 milliamperes per square centimeter, which represents an H₂O₂ productivity of 3.4 millimoles per square centimeter per hour (3660 moles per kilogram of catalyst per hour). A wide range of concentrations of pure H₂O₂ solutions up to 20 weight % could be obtained by tuning the water flow rate through the solid electrolyte, and the catalyst retained activity and selectivity for 100 hours.