Cation-Vacancy-Enriched Nickel Phosphide for Efficient Electrosynthesis of Hydrogen Peroxides

Electrocatalytic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) synthesis via the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e ORR) pathway is becoming increasingly important due to the green production process. Here, cationic vacancies on nickel phosphide, as a proof-of-concept to regulate the catalyst's physicochemical properties, are introduced for efficient H2O2 electrosynthesis. The as-fabricated Ni cationic vacancies (V-Ni)-enriched Ni2-xP-V-Ni electrocatalyst exhibits remarkable 2e ORR performance with H2O2 molar fraction of >95% and Faradaic efficiencies of >90% in all pH conditions under a wide range of applied potentials. Impressively, the as-created V-Ni possesses superb long-term durability for over 50 h, suppassing all the recently reported catalysts for H2O2 electrosynthesis. Operando X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) and synchrotron Fourier transform infrared (SR-FTIR) combining theoretical calculations reveal that the excellent catalytic performance originates from the V-Ni-induced geometric and electronic structural optimization, thus promoting oxygen adsorption to the 2e ORR favored end-on configuration. It is believed that the demonstrated cation vacancy engineering is an effective strategy toward creating active heterogeneous catalysts with atomic precision.

Automated summary

Electrocatalytic hydrogen peroxide synthesis via two-electron oxygen reduction reaction pathway is becoming increasingly important due to its green production process. Introducing cationic vacancies on nickel phosphide as a proof-of-concept to regulate the catalyst's properties has led to efficient H2O2 electrosynthesis. The created Ni cationic vacancies enriched Ni2-xP-V-Ni electrocatalyst exhibits remarkable 2e ORR performance and long-term durability, with optimized geometric and electronic structures. Cation vacancy engineering is believed to be an effective strategy for creating active heterogeneous catalysts with atomic precision.