Enhanced H 2 O 2 Production Over Defective Photocatalytic Materials

Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) is an important industrial chemical with a wide variety of applications in environmental remediation, sterilization, and green chemical processes. The traditional anthraquinone process, which accounts for more than 95% of the worldwide production, is an energy-intensive, fossil fuel-dependent process that produces hazardous waste. Photocatalytic processes that utilize sunlight to produce H 2 O 2 from oxygen and water have received considerable interest as promising green alternatives. One of the fundamental strategies for boosting the efficiency of photocatalyst materials is defect engineering through the deliberate introduction of vacancies, dopants, and interfacial defects for efficient H 2 O 2 production. The emphasis of this chapter is to present an integrated approach for addressing such issues by combining mechanistic understanding, material development, and industrial pilots in the quest to enable further advancement of sustainable H 2 O 2 synthesis through defect-engineered photocatalysts.