Nanohybrid Catalysts for Efficient Synthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide at Ambient Temperature and Pressure

The catalytic activity of gold nanoparticle-loaded metal oxides (Au/MOs) for the two electron-oxygen reduction reaction (2e(-)-ORR) by formic acid increases with a rise in Fermi energy of the support. Among the MOs, metal titanates (MTiO3, M = Ca, Sr, Ba) possess high levels of Fermi energy in the range of -3.84 to -3.98 eV versus vacuum. Nanohybrid catalysts consisting of the Au/MTiO3 and adsorbed surfactant bilayer (or admicelle) progress 2e(-)-ORR yielding hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) with a turnover frequency of (1.3-1.7) x 10(2) h(-1) and initial selectivity >99% at 298 K and 1 atm. This striking admicelle effect stems from the concentration of 02 into the reaction field because of the spontaneous transport from the water phase to the hydrophobic nanospace in the admicelle and the removal of H2O2 from the reaction field because of the opposite directional transport.