Electron Redistribution in Iridium-Iron Dual-Metal-Atom Active Sites Enables Synergistic Enhancement for H₂O₂...

Developing efficient heterogeneous H₂O₂ decomposition catalysts under neutral conditions is of great importance in many fields such as clinical therapy, sewage treatment, and semiconductor manufacturing but still suffers from low intrinsic activity and ambiguous mechanism understanding. Herein, we constructed activated carbon supported with an Ir-Fe dual-metal-atom active sites catalyst (IrFe-AC) by using a facile method based on a pulsed laser. The electron redistribution in Ir-Fe dual-metal-atom active sites leads to the formation of double reductive metal active sites, which can strengthen the metal-H₂O₂ interaction and boost the H₂O₂ decomposition performance of Ir-Fe dual-metal-atom active sites. Ir-Fe dual-metal-atom active sites show a high second-order reaction rate constant of 3.53 × 10⁶ M^-1·min^-1, which is ∼10⁶ times higher than that of Fe₃O₄. IrFe-AC is effective in removing excess intracellular reactive oxygen species, protecting DNA, and reducing inflammation under oxidative stress, indicating its therapeutic potential against oxidative stress-related diseases. This study could advance the mechanism understanding of H₂O₂ decomposition by heterogeneous catalysts and provide guidance for the rational design of high-performance catalysts for H₂O₂ decomposition.