Anthraquinone Covalently Modified Carbon Nanotubes for Efficient and Steady Electrocatalytic H2O2 Generation

Anthraquinone(AQ) modified carbon materials could be endowed with significantly improved oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) activity. However, the application of these materials in the generation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has been rarely investigated. For this motivation, AQ covalently modified carbon nanotube(AQ-CNT) was purposely synthesized for H2O2 generation. It was found that the cumulative H2O2 concentration reached up to 187.18 mg/(Lh) over AQ(40)-CNT catalyst, nearly 2.0 times higher than that over CNT, and being superior to those over most carbon materials reported. The enhanced activity stemmed from the improved mass transfer efficiency of oxygen and the enhanced electrocatalytic activity. Noteworthily, the AQ(40)-CNT material exhibited satisfactory stability for H2O2 generation, which was ascribed to the strong interaction force of C-N covalent bond. The present work could provide a vital idea for designing electrode material with simultaneously improved activity and stability for H2O2 generation.