Ultra-low single-atom Pt on g-C3N4 for electrochemical hydrogen peroxide production

Platinum-based materials show excellent electrocatalytic performance and have good potential for use in fuel cells. However, the high cost and scarce reserves have restricted their wide application. Therefore, it is a challenging task to reduce the amount of Pt as well as ensure good catalytic performance. Herein, anchoring of Pt single atoms (0.21 wt parts per thousand) with ultra-low content on g-C3N4 nanosheets (Pt-0.21/CN) has been successfully achieved. The obtained Pt-0.21/CN catalyst shows excellent two-electron oxygen reduction (2e(-) ORR) capability for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Compared with CN, its H2O2 selectivity increased from 80% to 98% in 0.1 M KOH, surpassing those in most of the reported studies. Besides, the H2O2 production rate of Pt-0.21/CN is 767 mmol g(cat)(-1) h(-1), which is 11.1 times that of CN. This work may pave the way toward the development of an effective method for the design of noble-metal electrocatalysts with low metal loading and high catalytic activity.