Coupling electrochemical H2O2 production and the in situ selective oxidation of organics over a bifunctional TS-1@Co-N-C catalyst.

Abstract

A core-shell TS-1@Co-N-C was prepared by thermally pyrolyzing polydopamine and cobalt acetate outside TS-1 crystals. The Co-N-C shell catalyzes the electrochemical oxygen reduction to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), while the TS-1 core catalyzes the oxidation of organic reagents. It achieved a H2O2 selectivity higher than 95% without organics, and accomplished an excellent bisphenol selectivity of 99.45% when coupled with phenol oxidation. Moreover, paired oxidation of furfural at both cathodic and anodic sides further led to an overall Faradaic efficiency of 141.09%. This bifunctional catalyst helps to integrate the in situ generation and usage of H2O2 into a single electrode, thus reduces the equipment and operating costs.