Platinum-based electrocatalysts for generation of hydrogen peroxide in aqueous acidic electrolytes. Rotating ring-disk studies

The electrocatalytic activity of selenium-, and sulfur-modified polycrystalline Pt electrodes for O₂ reduction in acid media has been examined using rotating ring-disk electrode techniques. The results obtained indicated that, within a rather narrow range of coverages, both Se-, and S-modified Pt surfaces promote O₂ reduction via a two-electron pathway to yield hydrogen peroxide at close to 100% faradaic efficiency over a wide potential region. Also presented in this work is an experimental procedure for Se-modification of high area, unsupported Pt particles based on fluidized packed bed reactor principles. Such a strategy could be readily scaled up opening new prospects for the development of large scale hydrogen peroxide generation in acid media, including electrochemically based, room temperature, Nafion-based oxygen concentrators.