Small-molecule catalyzed H2O2 production via a phase-transfer photocatalytic process

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production has long been one of the key technologies in modern chemical industries. Conventional methods for large-scale H2O2 production are challenged by either high-energy-consumption or harsh reaction conditions. Here, we demonstrate a strategy to produce H2O2 with high yield catalyzed by organophotocatalyst using only H2O and O2 as the raw material without the assistance of additional scavengers. Our strategy features the design principle of the organophotocatalyst and a phase-transfer photocatalytic process under ambient condition. We show that both photocatalytic reduction of O2 and photocatalytic oxidation of H2O are responsible for H2O2 production in this phase-transfer photocatalytic process, and the solvent permittivity and intermolecular interaction between O2 and organophotocatalyst are the keys to achieve high efficiency. The photocatalytic H2O2 production rate in the system reaches 9000 μmol g−1 h−1 in the initial stage under ambient condition,and the apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) was ca. 8.2% based on the 595 nm wavelength. This work brings new insight to H2O2 production in a distinct mechanism that may inspire the development of low-energy consumption and cost-effective H2O2 production through photocatalysis.