Myung Gi Seo

Direct Synthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide from Hydrogen and Oxygen Using Tailored Pd Nanocatalysts: A Review of Recent Findings

Direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide from hydrogen and oxygen is being actively studied as an alternative to the current manufacturing process. The direct synthesis route has not reached the point of commercialization because of low yields, but significant effort is being spent on enhancing the productivity. With advances in computational capacity, simulation studies based on DFT calculations now offer directions for catalyst improvement, but such modifications can only be realized through the application of nanoparticle synthesis techniques that allow for nanocrystal morphology and size control and unique immobilization. To date, there have only been a small number of studies on such nanoparticles with size and crystallographic homogeneity for the direct hydrogen peroxide synthesis. According to our knowledge no other group has systematically investigated application of nanoparticles in direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide, and thus included in this review are primarily previous studies conducted by our group. In this review, we discuss the utilization of nanotechnology for the synthesis of Pd catalysts and its effect on the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide, and we suggest a direction for future studies.

Porous MnO2/CNT catalysts with a large specific surface area for the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide

H2O2 vapor sterilization is an effective and safe method for removing various pathogens. To improve the efficiency of this technique, the time required for sterilization must be shortened. The aeration time constitutes a large portion of the total sterilization time; therefore, the development of a catalyst for H2O2 decomposition is necessary. Bulk MnO2 is typically used in H2O2 decomposition, but it has a low specific surface area. To increase H2O2 decomposition activity, specific surface area and electron transfer ability of catalyst need improvement. In this study, MnO2/CNT(x), where x denotes the weight ratio of CTAB to H2O in the catalyst preparation, was synthesized using a soft template method with varying amounts of the template. Overall, the catalyst specific surface area remarkably increased to 190–200 m2/g from 0.043 m2/g for bulk MnO2 and these increased surface areas resulted in superior H2O2 decomposition activity. Among the CNT-supported catalysts tested, MnO2/CNT (1.0) exhibited the highest activity, which was 570 times that of bulk MnO2. Aeration times were also calculated with some assumptions and the aeration can be finished within 1 hr (bulk MnO2 needs about 25 hr).