Enhanced two-electron oxygen reduction for hydrogen peroxide production via fine-tuning the concentration of oxygen vacancies in MoO_3−x

Producing hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) electrochemically is a possible alternative to industrial anthraquinone synthesis. Herein, α-MoO_3−x catalysts with controllable oxygen vacancies for two-electron Oxygen Reduction (2e⁻ ORR) electrocatalysis have been reported for the first time. Because of the finely tuned oxygen vacancy concentration of α-MoO_3−x-400, it is particularly sensitive to the production of H₂O₂, providing very high selectivity in H₂O₂ production reaches as high as 93% with an average yield of 310 mmol g_cat⁻¹ h⁻¹ over 12 h. In addition to providing us with the most abundant and attractive transition metal oxide (TMO) catalysts yet, this research provides a fresh approach to the rational development of effective TMO catalysts. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.