Manipulation of the PdAu‒PdAuOx interface on Pd-Au bimetallic catalysts for the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide

Direct synthesis of H2O2 from H2 and O2 via heterogeneous catalysis is an environmentally friendly and atomically economic alternative to the traditional anthraquinone oxidation (AO) process. Optimizing the electronic and geometric structures of the active metals to break the current limitations of hydrogenation rate and H2O2 selectivity is a promising and challenging topic. In this study, a series of Pd-Au bimetallic catalysts supported on TiO2 with a metal loading of 3.0 wt% and a constant Pd/Au molar ratio (Pd:Au = 2:1) were prepared. The catalysts were reduced in H2 at different temperatures (473, 573 and 673 K), and their catalytic activity for the direct H2O2 synthesis were evaluated at 283 K and 0.1 MPa. H2 reduced Pd-Au catalysts exhibited superior performance in direct H2O2 synthesis. The maximum H2O2 selectivity of 87.7% and H2O2 yield of 3116.4 mmol h−1 gPd−1 were achieved over the Pd2.0Au1.0-573 catalyst with a H2 conversion of 12.8%. The tailored local chemical environment caused by H2 reduction creates a balanced ratio of Pd0 and PdOx sites, thus improving the selectivity towards H2O2. This work developed an effective strategy for fabrication of highly active and stable Pd-based H2O2 synthesis catalysts with high H2O2 yield.