Defective PTFE with Dense Active Sites Enabling Rapid H2O2 Production for Efficient Water Purification

Abstract

AbstractThe electrosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) via two‐electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e−‐ORR) enables high energy utilization and distributed H2O2 production. Rational catalyst design is essential for achieving efficient H2O2 production, in which fluorine‐modified carbon materials hold great potential. However, conventional methods can only induce limited loading of fluorine atoms in carbon‐based catalysts, leading to unsatisfying electrochemical performance. Herein, the design of fluorine‐containing active sites with high density and high 2e−‐ORR selectivity is achieved by loading fluorine‐containing chained polytetrafluoroethylene precursors onto conductive carbon substrates by plasma‐assisted ball milling technique. Consequently, the defect‐rich PTFE@CNTs show a high selectivity of over 95% and a high H2O2 yield of more than 35 mol g−1 h−1. Furthermore, the electrochemical production of H2O2 can be readily integrated with water purification units to decompose contaminants, showing over 80% degradation of multiple dyes within 1 h and over 95% removal ratio of antibiotics within 4 h. In addition, 100% sterilization of staphylococcus aureus is achieved by on‐site accumulating H2O2 in commercial saline for only 30 min. This defect engineering strategy through plasma ball milling provides a promising and universal avenue toward designing highly active and efficient electrocatalysts for 2e−‐ORR as well as other electrochemical processes.