Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is a clean oxidant used in water treatment, chemical synthesis, and disinfection, yet its production is dominated by the energy- and fossil-intensive anthraquinone process. This centralised method requires transport and storage of concentrated H₂O₂, posing safety and environmental risks. Direct solar-driven production via the two-electron water oxidation reaction (2e-WOR: H₂O → H₂O₂ + 2H⁺ + 2e⁻) offers a sustainable, decentralized alternative, using only sunlight and water.
The challenge lies in achieving high selectivity for 2e-WOR over the competing four-electron oxygen evolution reaction (4e-OER) and preventing oxidative decomposition of H₂O₂. Current photoanodes, such as BiVO₄, suffer from limited Faradaic efficiency and stability.
This project will develop surface-engineered photoanodes (e.g., doped BiVO₄, BiFeO₃/BiVO₄ heterojunctions) with optimized OOH intermediate binding to enhance selectivity. Electrolyte engineering with bicarbonate or phosphate ions will stabilise H₂O₂, while membrane-separated photoelectrochemical flow cells will couple anodic 2e-WOR with cathodic nitrate reduction to ammonia reaction for bias-free, decentralised H₂O₂ production. Operando spectroscopy (XAS, FTIR, Raman) will reveal mechanistic insights into selectivity control, guiding catalyst design.
By delivering a scalable, corrosion-resistant reactor for on-site H₂O₂ generation, this research will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, eliminate hazardous transport, and enable renewable chemical manufacturing for environmental remediation, agriculture, and healthcare.
School
Chemical Engineering
Research Area
Solar energy conversion | Green chemical synthesis | Photoelectrochemistry
Suitable for recognition of Work Integrated Learning (industrial training)?
No
- Research environment
- Expected outcomes
- Supervisory team
- Reference material/links
The student will have the opportunity to work in the Particles and Catalysis Research Group (PartCat) under the guidance of Dr Shujie Zhou and Prof. Rose Amal. The student will have the access to well-equipped laboratories with experimental facilities and computational tools. The student will work in a multidisciplinary research environment and learn various functional skills to facilitate future career in academic or industry.
The student is expected to gain experience in materials synthesis and characterisation as well as photoelectrochemical activity measurements. This is an extended project based on preliminary results and the generated knowledge and data will result in a publication. The project will also allow the student to work with other research students to gain valuable interdisciplinary experience. Continuing the research as an 4th year honour thesis project is possible.
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/anie.202011215?casa_token=I_09AtJUXxMAAAAA%3ARvnAJRITJ1AWNZ2nH0aHZhDStkeGUKdEc1zvCsF7UpfHM3MA7UX3GS3H87UE0JdrOjwSo36_ooz0XoJ_-Q
- https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acsenergylett.4c00282?casa_token=H0dl3oukIEsAAAAA%3AK9_xNEZ-AiP5N8Dpke8CMrvPdH5ezDmpHJduAo5RwyuKBdevzsXNB-9MsjRZ2ok_A2ITAcq9lSyr--hS3Q