Electrocatalysis of Hydrogen Peroxide Generation Using Oxygen-Fed Gas Diffusion Electrodes Made of Carbon Black Modified with Quinone Compounds

Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) is one of the most popular and widely used oxidants. Among the wide range of synthesis techniques used for the production of H 2 O 2 ; the electrochemical method allows the use of gas diffusion electrodes to generate H 2 O 2 without limiting the low solubility of O 2 in water. The present work reports the modification of carbon black with quinone, where the generation of H 2 O 2 occurs in an electrochemical/chemical mechanism. The results obtained by this technique were found to be highly promising. The use of the organic compound 1,2-dihydroxyanthraquinone to modify carbon black electrode resulted in greater production of H 2 O 2 . Carbon black electrode modified with 1% of 1,2-dihydroxyanthraquinone yielded 298 mg L −1 of H 2 O 2 at the end of 90 min of experiment, reaching an electrical efficiency of approximately 25.5%. Based on the findings of this study, H 2 O 2 generation is found to be directly associated with the chemical structure of the carbon modifier and not solely related to the presence of quinone groups. Graphical Abstract