SnSe nanosheets with Sn vacancies catalyse H2O2 production from water and oxygen at ambient conditions
摘要
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a vital industrial chemical and sustainable energy carrier. However, achieving a simple, efficient and cost-effective synthesis under mild conditions remains an important challenge. Here we show that SnSe nanosheets with Sn vacancies can directly catalyse H2O2 production from H2O and O2 under ambient conditions, without additional energy inputs (for example, light and electricity), cocatalysts or sacrificial reagents. This approach achieves an optimal H2O2 production rate of ~2.6 mmol g−1 h−1 at 40 °C and maintains long-term stable production (~0.3 mmol l−1) in a continuous-flow reactor for over 50 h at room temperature. Experimental and theoretical analyses reveal that this unique thermocatalytic effect arises from a dynamic process involving Sn vacancy defect-induced sequential dissociation of H2O and activation of O2 molecules, along with reversible surface restructuring of the SnSe nanosheets to release H2O2. Our findings offer a notably simple, highly efficient and entirely green strategy for H2O2 production, with broader implications in other catalytic reactions involving water activation.