Recent Progress in Atomically Dispersed Non‐noble Metal Catalysts for Electrochemical Two‐electron Oxygen Reduction Reaction
Hui Xu, Shengbo Zhang, Haimin Zhang
Abstract
Abstract Electrochemical two‐electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e − ORR) has emerged as an efficient route to generate hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) under ambient conditions, being a promising alternative to the traditional energy‐intensive anthraquinone process and direct synthesis route using H 2 and O 2 . However, this 2e − ORR process still requires highly efficient electrocatalysts to adsorb and activate O 2 with two‐electron reaction pathway. Among all investigated 2e − ORR electrocatalysts to date, non‐noble metal single atom catalysts (SACs) with tunable electronic structure and different coordination structures manifest great potential in controlling ORR pathway to obtain high‐efficiency H 2 O 2 production. In this review, recent advances and achievements in tuning non‐noble metal SACs for selective 2e − ORR to H 2 O 2 are systematically summarized. Especially, the strategies to effectively regulate the catalytic active sites of non‐noble metal SACs for optimizing the binding strength of key oxygenated intermediates during 2e − ORR are emphatically exhibited and reviewed. Finally, we also point out the challenges and outlooks about the development of non‐noble metal SACs in H 2 O 2 electrosynthesis and the diverse utilization of in‐situ formed H 2 O 2 for biomass upgrading. This review would be helpful to guide the design and development of efficient SACs for electrochemical 2e − ORR to H 2 O 2 under ambient conditions.