Anionic defects engineering of Co3O4 catalyst for toluene oxidation

Development of advanced metal oxide catalysts for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) abatement is of great environmental and economic importance. Herein, a defective Co3O4 catalyst is delineated via N doping. The anionic defects engineering significantly facilitated the oxygen vacancies formation, leading to a distorted lattice structure, increased active surface oxygen and enhanced oxygen mobility of Co3O4 catalyst. These features promise an excellent toluene oxidation performance with 50% toluene conversion temperature (T-50) of 208 degrees C and 90 % toluene conversion temperature (T-90) of 218 degrees C at a space velocity of 60,000 mL g(-1)h(-1), about 33 degrees C and 53 degrees C lower than that of the pristine Co3O4, respectively. Meanwhile, the N doped Co3O4 catalyst maintains a high hydrothermal stability at 210 degrees C. This work exemplifies the significance of anionic defects for the intrinsic catalytic oxidation ability improvement, providing a guidance for the upgradation of the metal oxide for the application of VOCs catalytic degradation and beyond.

Automated summary

The development of advanced metal oxide catalysts for VOCs abatement is crucial for environmental and economic reasons. In this study, a defective Co3O4 catalyst is created through N doping, resulting in improved oxygen mobility and increased active surface oxygen. The N-doped Co3O4 catalyst exhibited excellent toluene oxidation performance and maintained high hydrothermal stability.