The Persistent Generation of H2O2 During the Phenol Photocatalytic Degradation Over Flower‐Like ZnIn2S4

Abstract Phenol photocatalytic degradation typically relies on the consumption of oxidative species such as H 2 O 2 . In this study, we found the persistent H 2 O 2 generation promoted by the phenol photocatalytic degradation process over flower‐like ZnIn 2 S 4 under visible light. The H 2 O 2 generation efficiency achieved 626 µmol·g −1 ·h −1 , which was 5.35 times higher than in pure water, whereas the phenol degradation efficiency was 97.34%. Experimental and theoretical analysis showed that H 2 O 2 was generated via a two‐electron O 2 reduction reaction over ZnIn 2 S 4 . Meanwhile, phenol was attacked by the photogenerated holes which facilitated H 2 O 2 production. More interestingly, phenol degradation process can also promote the H 2 O 2 generation, in which hydroquinone (HQ), as the key intermediate, played an important role in promoting the persistent generation of H 2 O 2 . This work provided new insights into the in‐situ production of H 2 O 2 accompanied with the purification of contaminated water.