Reduction of superoxide radical intermediate by polydopamine for efficient hydrogen peroxide photosynthesis

• Main Authors: Deng, Yihan, Liu, Wei, Xu, Run, Gao, Rong, Huang, Niu, Zheng, Yong, Huang, Yingping, Li, Hao, Kong, Xin Ying, Ye, Liqun
• Other Authors: School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2024
• Subjects: Chemistry; Dopamine; Hydrogen peroxide
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/180332
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The synthesis of hydrogen peroxide through artificial photosynthesis is a green and promising technology with advantages in sustainability, economy and safety. However, superoxide radical (⋅O2 -), an important intermediate in photocatalytic oxygen reduction to H2O2 production, has strong oxidizing properties that potentially destabilize the catalyst. Therefore, avoiding the accumulation of ⋅O2 - for its rapid conversion to H2O2 is of paramount significance in improving catalyst stability and H2O2 yield. In this work, a strategy was developed to utilize protonated groups for the rapid depletion of converted ⋅O2 -, thereby the efficiency of photocatalytic synthesis of H2O2 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 ⋅O2 - for efficient H2O2 production. This work offers a versatile approach for synthesizing efficient and stable photocatalysts.