Photocatalytic H2O2 production and fuel cell performance based on PDI nanobelts enhanced by surface plasmon resonance of gold nanoparticles

The photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) fuel cell represents an innovative self-powered apparatus amalgamating the production and conversion of H2O2 to supply electricity. Using efficient photocatalyst as photoanode to realize two-electron water oxidation to produce H2O2 is considered as a key factor to improve the performance of fuel cell. In this study, perylene imide nanobelts decorated with gold nanoparticles (Au/PDI) were synthesized and subsequently employed as the photoanode to construct a photocatalytic H2O2 fuel cell. This cell can produce H2O2 under irradiation and store it, subsequently utilizing the stored H2O2 to generate electricity in the absence of light. The maximum power density of Au/PDI-based cell could reach 1.07 mW·cm−2 under AM 1.5G solar light, which has around 1.7 times enhancement compared to PDI-based cell. Meanwhile, a specific capacitance of 5661 mF·cm−2 was obtained after 3 h irradiation. After operating the cell for 12 h, the specific capacitance remained at 50.2% of its initial value. It is indicated that PDI-based photocatalysts hold considerable promise in water oxidation for H2O2 production. The incorporation of noble nanometals has shown effective enhancement in photocatalytic H2O2 production through the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effects, thereby enriching the photoanode materials designed for H2O2 fuel cell application.