We are testing our photocatalyst for both water oxidation reaction (WOR) to O2 and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) to H2O2. Can you in principle close the cycle from H2O to H2O2 (and then back to H2O by H2O2 decomposition) through O2?
We got some H2O2 in one day when we introduced our photocatalyst in oxygen-deprived water (by freeze-dry). Can we conclude that the hydrogen peroxide comes from oxygen evolved from O2? Or is it more likely from direct 2 electron water oxidation?
Dear Andrea,
this is a very good and important technical question. As a synthetic inorganic chemist I'm absolutely not a specialist in this field. However, I just came across the following potentially useful review article which could help you in your analysis:
A comparative perspective of electrochemical and photochemical approaches for catalytic H2O2 production
https://d-nb.info/1216173303/34
Article A comparative perspective of electrochemical and photochemic...
Unfortunately this review article has not been posted as public full text on RG. However, the first author has an RG profile (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yanyan-Sun-8). Thus you should be able to request the full text directly from this author via RG.
Good luck with your work!
I don't understand why you have to produce an expensive O2 from water oxidation and and then reduce it to H2O2, if you can take a "free" O2 from air and reduce it?
Dear Yurii V Geletii,
You're absolutely right. As a matter of fact, we have already tested H2O2 production by ORR from free O2. Now we were more interested in what is more considered as a proof of concept, that is the possibility of closing the cycle from water to oxygen to hydrogen peroxide and water again by decomposition.
Dear Frank T. Edelmann thanks for the review.
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