Spontaneous Generation of H₂O₂ and Hydroxyl Radical through O₂ Reduction on Copper Phosphide under Ambient Aqueous...

Copper phosphide (Cu _xP) was synthesized and tested for its reactivity for generating H₂O₂ through spontaneous reduction of dioxygen under ambient aqueous condition. The in situ generated H₂O₂ was subsequently decomposed to generate OH radicals, which enabled the degradation of organic compounds in water. The oxygen reduction reaction proceeded along with the concurrent oxidation of phosphide to phosphate, then copper ions and phosphate ions were dissolved out during the reaction. The reactivity of Cu _xP was gradually reduced during 10 cycles with consuming 8.7 mg of Cu _xP for the successive removal of 17 μmol 4-chlorophenol. CoP which was compared as a control sample under the same experimental condition also produced H₂O₂ through activating dioxygen but did not degrade organic compounds at all. The electrochemical analysis for the electron transfers on Cu _xP and CoP showed that the number of electrons transferred to O₂ is 3 and 2, respectively, which explains why OH radical is generated on Cu _xP, not on CoP. The Cu⁺ species generated on the Cu _xP surface can participate in Fenton-like reaction with in situ generated H₂O₂. Cu _xP is proposed as a solid reagent that can activate dioxygen to generate reactive oxygen species in ambient aqueous condition, which is more facile to handle and store than liquid/gas reagents (e.g., H₂O₂, Cl₂, O₃).