Simultaneous Ozone and Hydrogen Peroxide Electrosynthesis via Defect Modulation in Ni, Sb-doped SnO2 Electrocatalysts

Electrochemical synthesis of green oxidants O and HO is valuable for applications, but challenges persist in enhancing the O and HO generation activity and combined application. Herein, we modulate the surface Ni active sites and oxygen vacancy defects content in Ni-Sb-SnO electrocatalysts to enhance selectivity for electrochemical ozone generation (EOP) and two-electron electrochemical oxygen reduction reactions (2e⁻ ORR). The Ni active sites and oxygen vacancy defects enriched electrocatalysts resulting in an ozone faradaic efficiency of 48.1%, while non-enriched electrocatalyst obtained 90% selectivity for HO. Theoretical calculations revealed that Ni-Sb-SnO efficiently captures O with defective O stabilize intermediates, facilitating O and HO synthesis. Moreover, concerted EOP and 2e⁻ ORR enable concurrent generation of O and HO for efficient synergistic degradation of organic pollutants, while attenuating the energy demands of the electrolyzer. This study provides an appealing strategy for the simultaneous production of O and HO with applications in wastewater treatment.