Photocatalytic Hydrogen Peroxide Generation on a Resorcinol-formaldehyde Semiconducting Resin in Aerated Urea Solutions

A resorcinol-formaldehyde semiconducting resin, when photoirradiated in aerated water containing an appropriate amount of urea, efficiently generates H2O2. The urea-H2O2 hydrogen-bonding interaction suppresses photocatalytic decomposition of the generated H2O2 and produces high-H2O2-content solutions. A resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) semiconducting resin, when photoirradiated at ambient temperature in an aerated water containing an appropriate amount of urea, efficiently generates H2O2 via oxidation of water and two-electron reduction of O2. The urea-H2O2 hydrogen-bonding interaction suppresses oxidative/reductive photocatalytic decomposition of the generated H2O2 on the resin surface and successfully produces high-H2O2-content solutions.