Effect of Nitrogen Species in Graphite Carbon Nitride on Hydrogen Peroxide Production

Electrochemical oxygen reduction for producing clean hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is a promising alternative approach to the industrial anthraquinone method. At present, the most pressing challenge is the development of oxygen reduction electrocatalysts with sufficient activity, stability, and 2e⁻ pathway selectivity. Here, the electrocatalytic properties of a series of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) catalysts with different concentrations of nitrogen species (C-N-C and N-(C)₃) are explored for H₂O₂ production. Electrochemical studies show that the selectivity of g-C₃N₄ for hydrogen peroxide generation in alkaline electrolytes reaches ≈90%. To explain the observed results, the structure, composition, and physical and chemical properties of g-C₃N₄ catalysts synthesized from different precursors are compared with their electrocatalytic performance. This research contributes to the discovery and design of a high-performance nitrogen-doped carbon catalysts for the production of hydrogen peroxide.