A metal-free photocatalyst for highly efficient hydrogen peroxide photoproduction in real seawater

Abstract Artificial photosynthesis of H 2 O 2 from H 2 O and O 2 , as a spotless method, has aroused widespread interest. Up to date, most photocatalysts still suffer from serious salt-deactivated effects with huge consumption of photogenerated charges, which severely limit their wide application. Herein, by using a phenolic condensation approach, carbon dots, organic dye molecule procyanidins and 4-methoxybenzaldehyde are composed into a metal-free photocatalyst for the photosynthetic production of H 2 O 2 in seawater. This catalyst exhibits high photocatalytic ability to produce H 2 O 2 with the yield of 1776 μmol g −1 h −1 ( λ ≥ 420 nm; 34.8 mW cm −2 ) in real seawater, about 4.8 times higher than the pure polymer. Combining with in-situ photoelectrochemical and transient photovoltage analysis, the active site and the catalytic mechanism of this composite catalyst in seawater are also clearly clarified. This work opens up an avenue for a highly efficient and practical, available catalyst for H 2 O 2 photoproduction in real seawater.