Highly selective cathodic H2O2 electrosynthesis by a metal tellurate/carbon black composite material

Abstract

One sustainable alternative to the traditional anthraquinone technology to produce H2O2 is direct H2O2 electrosynthesis by oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, selecting electrocatalysts is a great challenge since most of the materials present selectivity towards the formation of H2O (4-electron pathway). In this work, we present a facile electrocatalyst preparation consisting of Ni3TeO6 (NTO), a metal tellurate, mixed with carbon black (Vulcan) with outstanding selectivity (2.2 transferred electrons) towards the production of H2O2 by ORR. To test the possible real application, the NTO/Vulcan catalyst was tested in a long-term stability test showing excellent faradaic efficiency and 93.5 % of the initial current. TEM and XPS measurements after reaction show that NTO/Vulcan materials are robust and durable electrocatalysts. This work opens the door of novel materials such as metal tellurates based on Ni for their application as ORR electrocatalysts in industrial applications.