Emerging nanostructured materials for the catalytic removal of volatile organic compounds

The strong growing interest in using catalytic oxidation to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which seriously threaten the health of human being, is rooted in its desirable features such as relative energy savings, low cost, operation safety and environmental friendliness. Within the last decades, the development of manufacturing processes, characterization techniques and testing methods has led to the blossom of research in synthesis and application of various nanostructured materials, which creates great opportunities and also a tremendous challenge to apply these materials for highly efficient catalytic removal of VOCs. We herein will systematically introduce the latest research developments of nanostructured materials for the catalytic degradation of VOCs so as to provide the readers a coherent picture of the field, mainly focusing on noble metals and metal oxides, which are currently two primary types of VOC catalysts. This review will focus on synthesis, fabrication and processing of nanostructured noble metals and metal oxides as well as the fundamentals and technical approaches in catalytic removal of VOCs, providing technical strategies for effectively developing novel nanostructured catalysts with low cost, enhanced activity and high stability for pollutant removal from surrounding environments.