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Solar‐Driven Production of Hydrogen Peroxide from Water and Dioxygen
Author(s) -
Fukuzumi Shunichi,
Lee YongMin,
Nam Wonwoo
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201704512
Subject(s) - hydrogen peroxide , chemistry , catalysis , photochemistry , proton , redox , proton coupled electron transfer , hydrogen , inorganic chemistry , electron transfer , organic chemistry , physics , quantum mechanics
Hydrogen peroxide, which is a green oxidant and fuel, is produced by a two‐electron/two‐proton reduction of dioxygen, two‐electron/two‐proton oxidation of water, or a combination of four‐electron/four‐proton or/and two‐electron/two‐proton oxidation of water and two‐electron/two‐proton reduction of dioxygen. There are many reports on electrocatalysts for selective two‐electron/two‐proton reduction of dioxygen to produce hydrogen peroxide instead of four‐electron/four‐proton reduction of dioxygen to produce water. As compared with the two‐electron/two‐proton reduction of dioxygen to produce hydrogen peroxide, fewer catalysts are known for the selective two‐electron/two‐proton oxidation of water to produce hydrogen peroxide instead of four‐electron/four‐proton oxidation of water to evolve dioxygen. Thus, solar‐driven production of hydrogen peroxide mainly consists of the catalytic four‐electron/four‐proton oxidation of water and the catalytic two‐electron/two‐proton reduction of dioxygen. The overall reaction is the solar‐driven oxidation of water by dioxygen to produce hydrogen peroxide. Either or both the four‐electron/four‐proton or/and the two‐electron/two‐proton oxidation of water and the two‐electron/two‐proton reduction of dioxygen requires photocatalysts. The yield of hydrogen peroxide is improved when the compartment for the photocatalytic four‐electron/four‐proton or/and two‐electron/two‐proton oxidation of water is separated from that for the catalytic two‐electron/two‐proton reduction of dioxygen using a two‐compartment cell separated by a membrane. The overall solar‐driven oxidation of water by dioxygen, which is the greenest oxidant, to produce hydrogen peroxide can be combined with catalytic oxidation of various substrates by hydrogen peroxide