Thermal protocol-driven oxidative etching of ZrC Embedded carbon nanofibers to unlock ZrO x C y nanodomains for selective H 2 O 2 production

Key Points

• To investigate how oxidative etching of ZrC embedded carbon nanofibers influences H2O2 production.
• Applied thermal protocol-driven oxidative etching to carbon nanofibers (CNFs) containing ZrC.
• Characterized the resulting nanodomains of ZrO x C y and Zr–O–C interfaces.
• Analyzed binding interactions of oxygenated intermediates.
• Identified ZrO x C y nanodomains on CNFs after etching.
• Demonstrated enhanced binding of oxygenated intermediates due to Zr–O–C interfaces.
• Showed improved selectivity for electrochemical H2O2 production.