Cyclodextrin-supported Co(OH)(2) Clusters as Electrocatalysts for Efficient and Selective H2O2 Synthesis

Co-based material catalysts have shown attractive application prospects in the 2 e(-) oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, for the industrial synthesis of H2O2, there is still lack of Co-based catalysts with high production yield rate. Here, novel cyclodextrin-supported Co(OH)(2) cluster catalysts were prepared via a mild and facile method. The catalyst exhibited remarkable H2O2 selectivity (94.2 % similar to 98.2 %), good stability (99 % activity retention after 35 h), and ultra-high H2O2 production yield rate (5.58 mol g(catalyst)(-1) h(-1) in the H-type electrolytic cell), demonstrating its promising industrial application potential. Density functional theory (DFT) reveals that the cyclodextrin-mediated Co(OH)(2) electronic structure optimizes the adsorption of OOH* intermediates and significantly enhances the activation energy barrier for dissociation, leading to the high reactivity and selectivity for the 2 e(-) ORR. This work offers a valuable and practical strategy to design Co-based electrocatalysts for H2O2 production.

Automated summary

Novel cyclodextrin-supported Co(OH)2 cluster catalysts were prepared, which exhibited remarkable H2O2 selectivity, good stability, and ultra-high H2O2 production yield rate, showing great potential for industrial application.