Dataset of "Photoelectrochemical generation of H2O2 using hematite (α-Fe2O3) and gas diffusion electrode (GDE)"

In contrast to the industrial-scale production of H2O2 the electrochemical or photoelectrochemical synthesis is environmentally friendly. In the present work, the photoelectrochemical generation of H2O2 was studied by combining the hematite (α-Fe2O3/FTO/glass) photoanode and gas diffusion electrode (GDE) modified by incorporation of tin (II) phthalocyanine (SnPc) in its hydrophilic layer. The experiments were carried out in a photoelectrochemical cell with two compartments separated by a proton exchange membrane under applied bias and AM1.5 irradiation (100 mW/cm2). The generated amount of H2O2 was determined by chemical analysis (visible light spectrophotometry) of the electrolyte. As a tool to determine the efficiency of such a process, the Faradaic efficiency (FE) was calculated. The best configuration used air as an inlet gas for GDE and phosphate buffer (pH 6.4) as an electrolyte in the cathodic compartment. The combination of hematite and GDE (with SnPc) was the most effective in H2O2 photoelectrochemical generation. The highest value of FE was 52.4 % for GDE (O2 reduction to H2O2) and 0.4 % for hematite photoanode (H2O oxidation to H2O2).