Volume 64, Issue 24 e202503385
Research Article

Highly Selective Oxygen Electroreduction to Hydrogen Peroxide on Sulfur-Doped Mesoporous Carbon

Juan Du

Juan Du

College of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Hebei University of Science and Technology, 26 Yuxiang Street, Shijiazhuang, 050018 P.R. China

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Yicheng Liu

Yicheng Liu

College of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Hebei University of Science and Technology, 26 Yuxiang Street, Shijiazhuang, 050018 P.R. China

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Ming Sun

Ming Sun

College of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Hebei University of Science and Technology, 26 Yuxiang Street, Shijiazhuang, 050018 P.R. China

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Jing Guan

Corresponding Author

Jing Guan

School of Environmental & Municipal Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266033 P.R. China

E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]

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Aibing Chen

Corresponding Author

Aibing Chen

College of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Hebei University of Science and Technology, 26 Yuxiang Street, Shijiazhuang, 050018 P.R. China

E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]

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Buxing Han

Corresponding Author

Buxing Han

Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 P.R. China

E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]

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First published: 09 April 2025

Graphical Abstract

Vertically aligned sulfur-doped mesoporous carbon spheres achieve outstanding 2e⁻-ORR performance with >99% H₂O₂ selectivity, −3.5 mA cm⁻2 current density, and 25 mol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ yield. The sp2/sp3 hybrid network synergized with S-induced charge redistribution creates electron-deficient hotspots for *OOH stabilization, combining metal-like efficiency, chemical robustness, and cost-effectiveness. This structural–electronic paradigm opens a new way for sustainable H₂O₂ electrosynthesis.

Abstract

As a paradigm-shifting material platform in energy catalysis, precisely engineered ordered mesoporous carbon spheres emerge as supreme metal-free electrocatalysts, outperforming conventional carbon-based counterparts through synergistic structural and electronic innovations. Herein, we architecturally design vertically aligned cylindrical mesoporous carbon spheres with atomic-level sulfur doping (S-mC) that establish unprecedented performance benchmarks in the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e-ORR) to hydrogen peroxide. Systematic comparative studies reveal that the S-mC catalysts achieve exceptional H2O2 selectivity (>99%) and activity at current density of −3.5 mA cm−2, surpassing state-of-the-art metal-free catalysts in current density. Impressively, the optimized S-mC electrocatalyst in a flow cell device achieves an exceptional H2O2 yield of 25 mol gcatalyst−1 h−1. The carbon matrix's unique sp2/sp3 hybrid network coupled with S-induced charge redistribution generates electron-deficient hotspots that selectively stabilize *OOH intermediates, as evidenced by in situ spectroscopic characterization and DFT calculations. This structural–electronic synergy endows the carbon framework with metal-like catalytic efficiency while maintaining inherent advantages of chemical robustness and cost-effectiveness. The marriage of S-doping engineering with mesoscopic pore architecture control opens a new way for developing efficient carbon-based electrocatalysts for oxygen selective reduction to H2O2.

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

Research data are not shared.

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