Faculty and students at the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of Jiangsu University (JSU) have published a paper titled “Ultrasonically Driven Efficient H2O2 Production via Sulfur Alloying in Piezoelectric Bi2O2(S1-xSx) Nanosheets” in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, reporting a breakthrough in the mechanically driven green synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). JSU is the first affiliation, with master’s student Shao Weibo of the School as first author. Prof. Li Shun, a Jinshan Distinguished Professor at the School; Zhang Zhe, Assistant Professor at Yangzhou University; and Zhao Jinzhu, Associate Professor at South China Normal University, are co-corresponding authors.
The study proposes an alloying strategy in which sulfur partially replaces selenium in two-dimensional piezoelectric Bi2O2Se nanosheets, enabling efficient, ultrasonically driven H2O2 synthesis from water and air alone under ambient conditions. The team found that sulfur alloying introduces asymmetric lattice distortion and charge redistribution that together regulate the piezoelectric coefficient, carrier concentration and mobility, and the oxygen activation barrier. The catalyst reaches a production rate of 4.8 mmol g-1 h-1, surpassing typical photocatalytic and piezocatalytic systems.
The findings also reveal a new mechanism of dynamic-strain-mediated self-regulating catalysis, in which intermediate stabilization and product release are decoupled, overcoming the limitation of the conventional Sabatier principle. The work offers a new route to the green production of H2O2 and points to new directions for designing highly efficient mechanically responsive catalysts, with potential applications in green chemical engineering, clean energy and environmental remediation.
Article link: https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.1286149
(Source: School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering)
