Highly selective oxygen reduction to hydrogen peroxide on transition metal single atom coordination

Abstract Shifting electrochemical oxygen reduction towards 2e – pathway to hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), instead of the traditional 4e – to water, becomes increasingly important as a green method for H 2 O 2 generation. Here, through a flexible control of oxygen reduction pathways on different transition metal single atom coordination in carbon nanotube, we discovered Fe-C-O as an efficient H 2 O 2 catalyst, with an unprecedented onset of 0.822 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode in 0.1 M KOH to deliver 0.1 mA cm −2 H 2 O 2 current, and a high H 2 O 2 selectivity of above 95% in both alkaline and neutral pH. A wide range tuning of 2e – /4e – ORR pathways was achieved via different metal centers or…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: ECS-0335765, 0335765, DE-SC0012704
• UD
  U.S. Department of Energy

  Awards: ECS-0335765, No. DE-SC0012704, SC0012704, DE-SC0008685
• HU
  Harvard University
• RU
  Rice University
• UO
  University of Calgary
• CL
  Canadian Light Source
• UO
  University of Saskatchewan
• CN
  Canadian Network for Research and Innovation in Machining Technology, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
• CF
  Canada First Research Excellence Fund
• OO
  Office of Science

  Awards: No. DE-SC0012704, ECS-0335765, Contract No. DE-SC0012704, SC0012704, DE-SC0012704
• RI
  Rowland Institute at Harvard
• CI
  Canadian Institutes of Health Research
• NS
  Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

  Award: DE-SC0012704
• WE
  Western Economic Diversification Canada
• NR
  National Research Council Canada
• BE
  Basic Energy Sciences

  Award: DE-SC0008685
• BN
  Brookhaven National Laboratory

  Awards: SC0012704, No. DE-SC0012704, Contract No. DE-SC0012704