Unassisted Photoelectrochemical H2O2 Production with In Situ Glycerol Valorization Using α-Fe2O3

Abstract

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) H2O2 production via two-electron O-2 reduction is promising for H2O2 production without emitting CO2. For PEC H2O2 production, alpha-Fe2O3 is an ideal semiconductor owing to its earth abundance, superior stability in water, and an appropriate band gap for efficient solar light utilization. Moreover, its conduction band is suitable for O-2 reduction to produce H2O2. However, a significant overpotential for water oxidation is required due to the poor surface properties of alpha-Fe2O3. Thus, unassisted solar H2O2 production is not yet possible. Herein, we demonstrate unassisted PEC H2O2 production using alpha-Fe2O3 for the first time by applying glycerol oxidation, which requires less bias compared with water oxidation. We obtain maximum Faradaic efficiencies of 96.89 +/- 0.6% and 100% for glycerol oxidation and H2O2 production, respectively, with high stability for 25 h. Our results indicate that unassisted and stable PEC H2O2 production is feasible with in situ glycerol valorization using the alpha-Fe2O3 photoanode.