Effect of Nitrogen Species in Graphite Carbon Nitride on Hydrogen Peroxide Production

Electrochemical oxygen reduction for producing clean hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a promising alternative approach to the industrial anthraquinone method. At present, the most pressing challenge is the development of oxygen reduction electrocatalysts with sufficient activity, stability, and 2e(-) pathway selectivity. Here, the electrocatalytic properties of a series of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) catalysts with different concentrations of nitrogen species (C-N(sic)C and N-(C)(3)) are explored for H2O2 production. Electrochemical studies show that the selectivity of g-C3N4 for hydrogen peroxide generation in alkaline electrolytes reaches approximate to 90%. To explain the observed results, the structure, composition, and physical and chemical properties of g-C3N4 catalysts synthesized from different precursors are compared with their electrocatalytic performance. This research contributes to the discovery and design of a high-performance nitrogen-doped carbon catalysts for the production of hydrogen peroxide.