Making an 'Eco-Friendly Oxidizer' Using Platinum-Gold Alloy Catalysts

Development of Platinum-Gold Alloy Catalysts through Simulation
Production of Hydrogen Peroxide at Room Temperature and Pressure Using Only Hydrogen and Oxygen

Schematic of gold-platinum nanoparticle synthesis (left) and catalytic performance evaluation (right)

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Junho] A technology capable of producing hydrogen peroxide with up to 95% purity by reacting hydrogen and oxygen has been developed. This technology is expected to be utilized in facilities requiring hydrogen peroxide, such as semiconductor, pulp industries, and wastewater treatment plants, due to its higher production yield compared to existing catalysts.

A joint research team consisting of Dr. Sangsoo Han and Dr. Donghoon Kim from the Computational Science Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Seungyong Lee from the Material Structure Control Research Center, and Professor Kwangyoung Lee from Korea University developed a new catalyst on the 11th that can improve the efficiency of hydrogen peroxide production. The research results were published in the international materials science journal Acta Materialia.

The research team created a platinum-gold alloy catalyst for hydrogen peroxide production through computer simulation. Using this catalyst, hydrogen peroxide can be produced at a higher yield than with the previously used palladium catalyst. While the selectivity of hydrogen peroxide with existing catalysts was only 30-40%, this catalyst increases the selectivity up to 95%. Dr. Han said, "Catalyst material development is a field that progresses through trial and error, but we were able to drastically reduce time and cost by using computer simulation."

Hydrogen peroxide is widely used across industries as an eco-friendly oxidizer, including as a disinfectant diluted in water for wound treatment, impurity removal in semiconductors, and wastewater treatment agents. However, its production process involves toxic substances (anthraquinone-based) and requires large-scale facilities, limiting production to specific locations.

Dr. Han explained, "The developed technology is an eco-friendly hydrogen peroxide production method without location constraints, overcoming the low selectivity limitation of palladium catalysts, significantly advancing commercialization."

Mechanism of Hydrogen Peroxide Production by Gold-Platinum Nanoparticle Catalysts Proven through Computational Science

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