Physics

Nanotechnology

Electrode

Organic chemistry

Electrosynthesis

Natural (archaeology)

Sessile drop technique

Diffusion

Biology

Interface (matter)

Engineering

Physical chemistry

Paleontology

Composite material

Chemistry

Materials science

Phase (matter)

Chemical engineering

Electrochemistry

Hydrogen peroxide

Biochemistry

Contact angle

Thermodynamics

Nature Communications

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) synthesis by electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction has attracted great attention as a green substitute for anthraquinone process. However, low oxygen utilization efficiency (<1%) and high energy consumption remain obstacles. Herein we propose a superhydrophobic natural air diffusion electrode (NADE) to greatly improve the oxygen diffusion coefficient at the cathode about 5.7 times as compared to the normal gas diffusion electrode (GDE) system. NADE allows the oxygen to be naturally diffused to the reaction interface, eliminating the need to pump oxygen/air to overcome the resistance of the gas diffusion layer, resulting in fast H2O2 production (101.67 mg h-1 cm-2) with a high oxygen utilization efficiency (44.5%-64.9%). Long-term operation stability of NADE and its high current efficiency under high current density indicate great potential to replace normal GDE for H2O2 electrosynthesis and environmental remediation on an industrial scale.

Highly efficient electrosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide on a superhydrophobic three-phase interface by natural air diffusion