Scalable Cathodic H2O2 Electrosynthesis using Cobalt‐Coordinated Nanocellulose Electrocatalyst

Abstract

AbstractConverting hierarchical biomass structure into cutting‐edge architecture of electrocatalysts can effectively relieve the extreme dependency of nonrenewable fossil‐fuel‐resources typically suffering from low cost‐effectiveness, scarce supplies, and adverse environmental impacts. A cost‐effective cobalt‐coordinated nanocellulose (CNF) strategy is reported for realizing a high‐performance 2e‐ORR electrocatalysts through molecular engineering of hybrid ZIFs‐CNF architecture. By a coordination and pyrolysis process, it generates substantial oxygen‐capturing active sites within the typically oxygen‐insulating cellulose, promoting O2 mass and electron transfer efficiency along the nanostructured Co3O4 anchored with CNF‐based biochar. The Co‐CNF electrocatalyst exhibits an exceptional H2O2 electrosynthesis efficiency of ≈510.58 mg L−1 cm−2 h−1 with an exceptional superiority over the existing biochar‐, or fossil‐fuel‐derived electrocatalysts. The combination of the electrocatalysts with stainless steel mesh serving as a dual cathode can strongly decompose regular organic pollutants (up to 99.43% removal efficiency by 30 min), showing to be a desirable approach for clean environmental remediation with sustainability, ecological safety, and high‐performance.