​Limited access to clean water is a major issue for billions of people in the developing world, where water sources are often contaminated with urban, industrial and agricultural waste. Many disease-causing organisms and organic pollutants can be effectively removed from water using hydrogen peroxide. However, producing hydrogen peroxide in areas that lack large factories and intense energy resources is a challenge.

 

Electrochemical synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) offers a unique decentralized process that is desirable for small-scale remote production of H2O2. Our goal is to develop a sustainable way for onsite production of hydrogen peroxide via different routes and use it for water purification in remote areas. Using atomic scale understanding of the frontiers of existing electrocatalysts toward H2O2 synthesis we design more efficient electrocatalyst. The focus is on different electrochemical synthesis routes: 1- two-electron oxygen reduction reaction, and 2- two-electron water oxidation reaction. Ultimately, we seek to develop catalysts that can be integrated into one single device for two-side H2O2 production.