Electrifying Industrial Hydrogen Peroxide Production via Interfacial Molecular Mediation

Abstract Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is predominantly produced via the centralized thermocatalytic hydrogenation-anthraquinone oxidation (t-AO) process, a conventional nonaqueous method. Electrifying such nonaqueous processes with improved selectivity remains a significant challenge. Here, we present a multi-phase electrochemical anthraquinone autoxidation (e-AO) system that leverages an interfacial hydrogen atom transfer reaction facilitated by a heterogeneous molecular catalytic process. This design enables aqueous electrochemical reactions with over 97% efficiency at high current densities (> 200 mA cm⁻²), using only carbon electrodes. The aqueous-nonaqueous interfacial hydrogen atom transfer, operating with nearly 100% selectivity through a quinhydrone intermediate, eliminates waste caused by over-reduction of anthraquinones in conventional t-AO processes. Our approach combines the benefits of aqueous electrochemistry with those of the traditional t-AO process while addressing issues like unwanted electrolyte migration in aqueous systems and anthraquinone over-reduction in t-AO. This strategy enables the continuous production of low-cost, high-purity H₂O₂ solutions (> 10 wt.%) and promotes the electrification and decentralization of nonaqueous chemical processes.