Highly selective cathodic H2O2 electrosynthesis by a metal tellurate/carbon black composite material

One sustainable alternative to the traditional anthraquinone technology to produce H2O2 is direct H2O2 electrosynthesis by oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, selecting electrocatalysts is a great challenge since most of the materials present selectivity towards the formation of H2O (4-electron pathway). In this work, we present a facile electrocatalyst preparation consisting of Ni3TeO6 (NTO), a metal tellurate, mixed with carbon black (Vulcan) with outstanding selectivity (2.2 transferred electrons) towards the production of H2O2 by ORR. To test the possible real application, the NTO/Vulcan catalyst was tested in a long-term stability test showing excellent faradaic efficiency and 93.5 % of the initial current. TEM and oS measurements after reaction show that NTO/Vulcan materials are robust and durable electrocatalysts. This work opens the door of novel materials such as metal tellurates based on Ni for their application as ORR electrocatalysts in in-dustrial applications.