Reduction of Superoxide Radical Intermediate by Polydopamine for Efficient Hydrogen Peroxide Photosynthesis
Yihan Deng, Wei Liu, Run Xu, Rongli Gao, Niu Huang, Yong Zheng, Yingping Huang, Hao Li, Xin Ying Kong, Liqun Ye
Abstract
Abstract The synthesis of hydrogen peroxide through artificial photosynthesis is a green and promising technology with advantages in sustainability, economy and safety. However, superoxide radical (⋅O 2 − ), an important intermediate in photocatalytic oxygen reduction to H 2 O 2 production, has strong oxidizing properties that potentially destabilize the catalyst. Therefore, avoiding the accumulation of ⋅O 2 − for its rapid conversion to H 2 O 2 is of paramount significance in improving catalyst stability and H 2 O 2 yield. In this work, a strategy was developed to utilize protonated groups for the rapid depletion of converted ⋅O 2 − , thereby the efficiency of photocatalytic synthesis of H 2 O 2 from CN was successfully enhanced by 47‐fold. The experimental findings demonstrated that polydopamine not only improved carrier separation efficiency, and more importantly, provided the adsorption reduction active site for ⋅O 2 − for efficient H 2 O 2 production. This work offers a versatile approach for synthesizing efficient and stable photocatalysts.