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Title: Stable and selective electrosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide and the electro-Fenton process on CoSe 2 polymorph catalysts
Electrochemical synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) in acidic solution can enable the electro-Fenton process for decentralized environmental remediation, but robust and inexpensive electrocatalysts for the selective two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e − ORR) are lacking. Here, we present a joint computational/experimental study that shows both structural polymorphs of earth-abundant cobalt diselenide (orthorhombic o -CoSe 2 and cubic c -CoSe 2 ) are stable against surface oxidation and catalyst leaching due to the weak O* binding to Se sites, are highly active and selective for the 2e − ORR, and deliver higher kinetic current densities for H 2 O 2 production than the state-of-the-art noble metal or single-atom catalysts in acidic solution. o -CoSe 2 nanowires directly grown on carbon paper electrodes allow for the steady bulk electrosynthesis of H 2 O 2 in 0.05 M H 2 SO 4 with a practically useful accumulated concentration of 547 ppm, the highest among the reported 2e − ORR catalysts in acidic solution. Such efficient and stable H 2 O 2 electrogeneration further enables the effective electro-Fenton process for model organic pollutant degradation.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1955074
PAR ID:
10280499
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Energy & Environmental Science
Volume:
13
Issue:
11
ISSN:
1754-5692
Page Range / eLocation ID:
4189 to 4203
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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