Boron-Doped Diamond Electrocatalyst for Enhanced Anodic H2O2 Production

Electrochemical production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) constitutes a cost-effective and alternative method to the complex and energy-intensive anthraquinone oxidation process. The two-electron water oxidation reaction pathway, while unconventional, is an attractive option for H2O2 generation as it can be combined with suitable reduction reactions to effectuate simultaneous electrosynthesis of valuable chemicals at a large scale. In this work we demonstrate that a carbon-based catalyst, boron-doped diamond (BDD), achieves an H2O2 concentration and production rate of 29.0 mmol dm–3 and 19.7 μmol min–1 cm–2, respectively, illustrating the capability of BDD as a suitable electrocatalyst for H2O2 formation from water.