Pauling-type adsorption of O(2) induced electrocatalytic singlet oxygen production on N–CuO for organic pollutants degradation

Due to environmentally friendly operation and on-site productivity, electrocatalytic singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)) production via O(2) gas is of immense interest in environment purification. However, the side-on configuration of O(2) on the catalysts surface will lead to the formation of H(2)O, which seriously limits the selectivity and activity of (1)O(2) production. Herein, we show a robust N-doped CuO (N–CuO) with Pauling-type (end-on) adsorption of O(2) at the N–Cu–O(3) sites for the selective generation of (1)O(2) under direct-current electric field. We propose that Pauling-type configuration of O(2) not only lowers the overall activation energy barrier, but also alters the reaction pathway to form (1)O(2) instead of H(2)O, which is the key feature determining selectivity for the dissociation of Cu–O bonds rather than the O–O bonds. The proposed N dopant strategy is applicable to a series of transition metal oxides, providing a universal electrocatalysts design scheme for existing high-performance electrocatalytic (1)O(2) production.