Engineering light propagation for synergetic photo- and thermocatalysis toward volatile organic compounds elimination

Photo-thermal catalysis emerged as a new fast-growing research area for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) elimination. However, despite some significant achievements, the research on engineering the light propagation to promote the photo-thermal catalytic efficiency has been largely overlooked so far. Herein, we reported Pt nanoparticle decorated three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) LaMn1.2O3 with multiple light scattering and the slow photon effect for improving the light-harvesting, thus achieving synergetic photo- and thermal catalysis toward complete toluene mineralization. As a result, a 100% conversion of toluene (200 ppm with a flow rate of 12.8 mL.min(-1)) is achieved with high selectivity to CO2 (88%) and good stability (100 h) under solar light irradiation. Combining characterizations and activity experiments, the multiple scattering and slow photon effect over Pt/3DOM LaMn1.2O3 are confirmed to enhance the reducibility and migration of lattice oxygen and facilitate the migration of the charge carrier, thus contributing to the improved photo-thermal catalytic performance. This work demonstrates that a well-considered design of catalysts with optimized structural and electronic properties effectively maximizes solar energy utilization.

Automated summary

The research focuses on the improvement of photo-thermal catalytic efficiency by engineering the light propagation using Pt nanoparticle decorated three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) LaMn1.2O3. By enhancing the multiple scattering and slow photon effect, a 100% conversion of toluene is achieved with high selectivity to CO2 and good stability under solar light irradiation. The improved catalytic performance is attributed to the enhanced reducibility and migration of lattice oxygen and facilitated charge carrier migration.