Efficient Synthesis of H₂O₂ on B₂O₃/F-Doped Carbon Nanomaterials for Applications in Green Electrocatalysis

Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) is predominantly produced via the anthraquinone process, which suffers from inherent drawbacks, such as complex operational procedures and environmental pollution. In contrast, the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e ORR) for H 2 O 2 synthesis has garnered significant attention due to its eco-friendly nature and sustainable potential. In this study, an efficient nonmetal electrocatalyst, B 2 O 3 /F-CNT-h, for H 2 O 2 synthesis is developed. S/F/P-doped carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are first synthesized via hydrothermal synthesis and pyrolysis methods. Among them, the F-doped CNTs prepared through hydrothermal synthesis (F-CNT-h) exhibit superior 2e ORR performance in alkaline media. B 2 O 3 /F-CNT-h is then formed by annealing F-CNT-h with H 3 BO 3 to improve the H 2 O 2 synthesis. Electrochemical evaluations in 0.1 M KOH reveal that the optimized B 2 O 3 /F-CNT-h-700 achieves a H 2 O 2 selectivity (H 2 O 2 %) of 92% within the potential range of 0.2–0.7 V (vs RHE), accompanied by an electron transfer number ( n ) of 2.2 and a Faradaic efficiency (FE%) of 87.7%. This work establishes a green catalytic strategy for 2e ORR electrocatalysts, enabling industrial-grade H 2 O 2 electrosynthesis in environmental remediation and medical-grade disinfection.