Acta Phys. -Chim. Sin. ›› 2025, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (9): 100117.doi: 10.1016/j.actphy.2025.100117

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Challenges and prospects of photocatalytic H2O2 production

Mahmoud Sayed1,2, Han Li3, Chuanbiao Bie1,*()   

  1. 1 Laboratory of Solar Fuel, Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei Province, China
    2 Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Fayoum University, Fayoum 63514, Egypt
    3 School of Automotive Materials, Hubei University of Automotive Technology, Shiyan 442020, Hubei Province, China
  • Received:2025-05-02 Revised:2025-06-06 Accepted:2025-06-10 Published:2025-07-04
  • Contact: Email: biechuanbiao@cug.edu.cn (Chuanbiao Bie)
  • Supported by:
    the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFB3803600); the National Natural Science Foundation of China(W2433135); the National Natural Science Foundation of China(22361142704); the National Natural Science Foundation of China(22261142666); the National Natural Science Foundation of China(22202187); the National Natural Science Foundation of China(U23A20102); the Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(2025AFB492); the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan)(CUG22061)

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Abstract:

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is one of the 100 most important chemicals used extensively in bleaching, disinfection, and synthetic chemistry industries. It is currently used as a fuel in direct fuel cells. The current H2O2 production relies on the harsh anthraquinone oxidation approach. Photocatalytic H2O2 production is a more favorable alternative from environmental, sustainability, and economic viewpoints. The process requires water and molecular oxygen as inputs and sunlight as the sole power source. Despite these merits, the practical application of this technology remains challenging. The most common bottlenecks are the photocatalyst's inadequacy, uphill thermodynamics, sluggish process kinetics, and competitive and backward reactions. This paper discusses these limitations and highlights the proposed perspectives to improve the efficiency and selectivity, aiming to pave the way toward large-scale H2O2 photogeneration.

Key words: Thermodynamics, Kinetics, Backward reaction, Side reaction, Hydrogen peroxide