Porous heterostructure of graphene/hexagonal boron nitride as an efficient electrocatalyst for hydrogen peroxide generation
Mengmeng Fan,
Zeming Wang,
Yuying Zhao,
Qixin Yuan,
Jian Cui,
Jithu Raj,
Kang Sun,
Ao Wang,
Jingjie Wu,
Hao Sun,
Bei Li,
Liang Wang,
Jianchun Jiang
Affiliations
Mengmeng Fan
Jiangsu Co‐Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, College of Chemical Engineering Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing China
Zeming Wang
School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Institute of Nanochemistry and Nanobiology Shanghai University Shanghai China
Yuying Zhao
Key Lab of Biomass Energy and Material, Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu Co‐Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products Chinese Academy of Forestry Nanjing China
Qixin Yuan
Jiangsu Co‐Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, College of Chemical Engineering Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing China
Jian Cui
Chemicobiology and Functional Materials Institute Nanjing University of Science and Technology Nanjing China
Jithu Raj
Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering University of Cincinnati Cincinnati Ohio USA
Kang Sun
Key Lab of Biomass Energy and Material, Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu Co‐Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products Chinese Academy of Forestry Nanjing China
Ao Wang
Key Lab of Biomass Energy and Material, Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu Co‐Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products Chinese Academy of Forestry Nanjing China
Jingjie Wu
Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering University of Cincinnati Cincinnati Ohio USA
Hao Sun
Key Lab of Biomass Energy and Material, Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu Co‐Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products Chinese Academy of Forestry Nanjing China
Bei Li
Key Lab of Biomass Energy and Material, Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu Co‐Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products Chinese Academy of Forestry Nanjing China
Liang Wang
School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Institute of Nanochemistry and Nanobiology Shanghai University Shanghai China
Jianchun Jiang
Key Lab of Biomass Energy and Material, Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu Co‐Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products Chinese Academy of Forestry Nanjing China
Abstract Compared with the traditional heteroatom doping, employing heterostructure is a new modulating approach for carbon‐based electrocatalysts. Herein, a facile ball milling‐assisted route is proposed to synthesize porous carbon materials composed of abundant graphene/hexagonal boron nitride (G/h‐BN) heterostructures. Metal Ni powder and nanoscale h‐BN sheets are used as a catalytic substrate/hard template and “nucleation seed” for the formation of the heterostructure, respectively. As‐prepared G/h‐BN heterostructures exhibit enhanced electrocatalytic activity toward H2O2 generation with 86%–95% selectivity at the range of 0.45–0.75 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and a positive onset potential of 0.79 versus RHE (defined at a ring current density of 0.3 mA cm−2) in the alkaline solution. In a flow cell, G/h‐BN heterostructured electrocatalyst has a H2O2 production rate of up to 762 mmol gcatalyst−1 h−1 and Faradaic efficiency of over 75% during 12 h testing, superior to the reported carbon‐based electrocatalysts. The density functional theory simulation suggests that the B atoms at the interface of the G/h‐BN heterostructure are the key active sites. This research provides a new route to activate carbon catalysts toward highly active and selective O2‐to‐H2O2 conversion.
