Metal-free carbon catalysts are promising alternatives to noble-metal electrocatalysts for H2O2 production through two electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e− ORR). Herein, a novel bioengineering approach is proposed to prepare N-doped hollow carbon nanoboxes from guanine precursor. The optimized NC-HNBs-550 exhibits an exceptional electrocatalytic performance, achieving a high H2O2 Faradaic efficiency (FE) of over 90% across a broad potential window exceeding 0.6 V. Remarkably, when tested in a flow cell configuration, NC-HNBs-550 delivers near-unity FE for H2O2 production at industrial-grade current densities, demonstrating its practicality for scalable applications. Impressively, the in situ electro-synthesized H2O2 is further employed as a green oxidant for rapid degradation of various organic dyes and even tetracyclines, and high-purity benzoyl peroxide (BPO) synthesis, highlighting its versatility in environmental and chemical applications. Combining experimental and theoretical analyses, we reveal that the superior 2e− ORR activity originates from the abundance of pyrrolic-N species in NC-HNBs, which optimize the adsorption energy of *OOH intermediates and promote selective O2 reduction. This work not only advances the rational design of biomass-derived carbon catalysts for sustainable H2O2 production but also provides a versatile platform for environmental remediation and value-added chemical production.
Publications
- Article type
- Year
- Co-author
Article type
Year
Open Access
Research Article
Issue
Nano Research 2025, 18(11): 94907934
Published: 24 October 2025
Downloads:482
Total 1
京公网安备11010802044758号