Metalloenzyme‐Inspired Cluster Fabrication within Mesoporous Channels Featuring Optimized Catalytic Microenvironments for Efficient Neutral pH H <sub>2</sub> O <sub>2</sub> Electrosynthesis
Abstract
Abstract In nature, some metalloenzymes facilitate highly efficient catalytic transformations of small molecules, primarily attributed to the effective coupling between their metal cluster active sites and the surrounding microenvironment. Inspired by this, a thermotropic redispersion strategy to incorporate bismuth nanoclusters (Bi NCs) into mesoporous channels, mimicking metalloenzyme‐like catalysis to enhance the two‐electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e − ORR) for efficient neutral pH H 2 O 2 electrosynthesis, is developed. This model electrocatalyst exhibits exceptional 2e − ORR performance with >95% H 2 O 2 selectivity across 0.2–0.6 V vs RHE in neutral electrolyte. Notably, the system produces up to 7.2 wt% neutral H 2 O 2 solution at an industrially relevant current density of ≈320 mA cm −2 , with 90% Faradaic efficiency for H 2 O 2 over 120 h in a flow cell, demonstrating significant practical potential. Mechanistic insights reveal that the introduction of Bi NCs enhances the adsorption of the *OOH intermediate, facilitating a highly active 2e − ORR process. Moreover, the mesoporous channels of the carbon support create a favorable catalytic microenvironment for O 2 aeration and local alkalinity, further boosting H 2 O 2 productivity. This catalyst design mimics metalloenzymes by optimal integration of the active site with the surrounding microenvironment, offering valuable insights for the rational design of nature‐inspired small‐molecule catalysts.
Article Details
Authors (12)
Qiang Tian
State Key Laboratory of Environment-Friendly Energy Materials, School of Materials and Chemistry
Wenyi Wang
Lingyan Jing
College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering Shenzhen University Shenzhen 518060 China
Xieshu Ye
College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering Shenzhen University Shenzhen 518060 China
Yan Kong
Xiaojing Huang
Aokang Li
College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering Shenzhen University Shenzhen 518060 China
Zehua Zheng
Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital & Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University School of Medicine
Xue Zhang
Qi Hu
Hengpan Yang
College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering
Chuanxin He
College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering