Self-cycled photo-Fenton-like system based on an artificial leaf with a solar-to-H2O2 conversion efficiency of 1.46%

Millions of families around the world remain vulnerable to water scarcity and have no access to drinking water. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are an effective way towards water purification with qualified reactive oxygen species (ROSs) while are impeded by the high-cost and tedious process in either input of consumable reagent, production of ROSs, and the pre-treatment of supporting electrolyte. Herein, we couple solar light-assisted H2O2 production from water and photo-Fenton-like reactions into a self-cyclable system by using an artificial leaf, achieving an unassisted H2O2 production rate of 0.77 mu mol/(min center dot cm(2)) under 1 Sun AM 1.5 illumination. Furthermore, a large (70 cm(2)) artificial leaf was used for an unassisted solar-driven bicarbonate-activated hydrogen peroxide (BAP) system with recycled catalysts for real-time wastewater purification with requirements for only water, oxygen and sunlight. This demonstration highlights the feasibility and scalability of photoelectrochemical technology for decentralized environmental governance applications from laboratory benchtops to industry. Continuous generation of reactive oxygen species is desirable in the advanced oxidation process. Here, the authors report a self-cycled photoFenton-like with a scalable artificial leaf for production of H2O2 from water with solar-to-H2O2 efficiency of 1.46%.

Automated summary

The study combines solar light-assisted H2O2 production with photo-Fenton-like reactions using an artificial leaf, achieving efficient and unassisted H2O2 production. This technology has been successfully applied to real-time wastewater purification, demonstrating the potential and feasibility of photoelectrochemical technology in environmental governance.