Cyclodextrin-supported Co(OH)2 Clusters as Electrocatalysts for Efficient and Selective H2 O2 Synthesis

Abstract

Co-based material catalysts have shown attractive application prospects in the 2 e^- oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, for the industrial synthesis of H₂ O₂ , there is still lack of Co-based catalysts with high production yield rate. Here, novel cyclodextrin-supported Co(OH)₂ cluster catalysts were prepared via a mild and facile method. The catalyst exhibited remarkable H₂ O₂ selectivity (94.2 % ~ 98.2 %), good stability (99 % activity retention after 35 h), and ultra-high H₂ O₂ production yield rate (5.58 mol g_catalyst ^-1 h^-1 in the H-type electrolytic cell), demonstrating its promising industrial application potential. Density functional theory (DFT) reveals that the cyclodextrin-mediated Co(OH)₂ electronic structure optimizes the adsorption of OOH* intermediates and significantly enhances the activation energy barrier for dissociation, leading to the high reactivity and selectivity for the 2 e^- ORR. This work offers a valuable and practical strategy to design Co-based electrocatalysts for H₂ O₂ production.

Keywords: Co(OH)2 Cluster; Cyclodextrin; H2O2 Production; Selectivity; Yield.