Production and characterization of metal-graphene or graphene oxide nanocomposites for the electrocatalytic production of hydrogen peroxide: application to the degradation of endocrine disrupting chemicals by electrochemical advanced oxidation processes

Abstract

In recent years, the in-situ electroproduction of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) via the selective 2-electron oxygen-reduction (ORR-2e-) has received enormous attention due to its wide applicability ranging from industrial processes to water treatment technologies. However, the successful implementation of electrochemical H2O2 production still depends on the development of more active, selective, and stable electrocatalysts while decreasing the noble metal content. As a promising linage of catalytic materials, single atom catalysts (SACs) have emerged as a new class of materials capable of achieving the limit of metal dispersion and showing impressive high activity and selectivity toward the ORR-2e-. However, the (electro)chemical stability of SACs to withstand the drastic reaction conditions imposed by real electrochemical devices still remains in the background. Addressing this problem, the project aims to synthesize and apply SACs based on transition metals (i.e., Co, Pd, and Pt) dispersed in carbon support counting functional groups capable of stabilizing the isolated metallic center, to act as efficient electrocatalysts for the selective production of H2O2. The activity and stability of the synthesized electrocatalysts will be investigated in more realistic condition using H2O2 producing-gas diffusion electrodes. We strongly believe that the generated scientific results will contribute to the development of materials with high catalytic performance while being cost-effective and able to act in real devices enabling the use of electrochemical technologies on a large scale. (AU)