Self-standing electrode derived from bacterial cellulose for efficient hydrogen peroxide production

Abstract

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) production through a two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) pathway presents a promising alternative to the traditional energy-consumed anthraquinone process. In this work, a low-cost and effective catalyst of carbon fiber (CF) derived from bacterial cellulose is utilized for H₂O₂ electroproduction. The CF electrode is treated under different atmospheres, and the electrode treated under an inert atmosphere exhibits excellent H₂O₂ production performance. The inert atmosphere-treated CF electrode delivers a high H₂O₂ production yield of 2200 mg L⁻¹ h⁻¹ with a remarkable faradaic efficiency of 95%. Interestingly, the electrode treated under a reductive atmosphere also shows high H₂O₂ production rate after cycle test. Physical characterization confirms that the oxygen functional groups and the unique structure contribute to the superior performance of the CF electrode. These results indicate that the H₂O₂ production performance should be evaluated under practical operating conditions for large-scale. These findings open a new avenue towards the development of low-cost electrocatalysts for H₂O₂ electrosynthesis, and offer new opportunities for waste biomass utilization.