Hierarchical Co 3 O 4 nanostructures in-situ grown on 3D nickel foam towards toluene oxidation

Synthesis and Optimization of Foam Copper-Based CoMnOx@Co3O4/CF Catalyst: Achieving Efficient Catalytic Oxidation of Paraxylene

This study successfully developed a foam copper (CF)-based CoMnOx@Co3O4/CF composite catalyst, achieving efficient thermal catalytic oxidation of paraxylene through multifactor optimization of synthesis conditions. At a Co:Mn molar ratio of 2:1 and a calcination temperature of 450 °C, the catalyst exhibited outstanding catalytic performance, with a T90 temperature as low as 246 °C, significantly lower than that of catalysts synthesized under other conditions. Additionally, BET, XPS, Raman, EPR, and H2-TPR test results indicate that the catalyst possesses a high specific surface area, abundant oxygen vacancies, a distribution of multivalent Co and Mn species, and a lower hydrogen reduction temperature, all of which contribute to the high catalytic activity of CoMnOx@Co3O4/CF. Furthermore, in situ DRIFTS confirmed that the oxidation of paraxylene on CoMnOx@Co3O4/CF follows the Mars-Van Krevelen (MvK) mechanism. The proposed reaction pathway begins with the oxidation of the methyl group on paraxylene, followed by the opening of the benzene ring and further oxidation to CO2 and H2O. The innovative structural design and excellent catalytic performance of this catalyst provide new insights and solutions for the industrial treatment of VOCs.

Improving benzene catalytic oxidation on Ag/Co3O4 by regulating the chemical states of Co and Ag

Silver (9 wt.%) was loaded on Co3O4-nanofiber using reduction and impregnation methods, respectively. Due to the stronger electronegativity of silver, the ratios of surface Co3+/Co2+ on Ag/Co3O4 were higher than on Co3O4, which further led to more adsorbed oxygen species as a result of the charge compensation. Moreover, the introducing of silver also obviously improved the reducibility of Co3O4. Hence the Ag/Co3O4 showed better catalytic performance than Co3O4 in benzene oxidation. Compared with the Ag/Co3O4 synthesized via impregnation method, the one prepared using reduction method (named as AgCo-R) exhibited higher contents of surface Co3+ and adsorbed oxygen species, stronger reducibility, as well as more active surface lattice oxygen species. Consequently, AgCo-R showed lowest T90 value of 183°C, admirable catalytic stability, largest normalized reaction rate of 1.36 × 10-4 mol/(h·m2) (150°C), and lowest apparent activation energy (Ea) of 63.2 kJ/mol. The analyzing of in-situ DRIFTS indicated benzene molecules were successively oxidized to phenol, o-benzoquinone, small molecular intermediates, and finally to CO2 and water on the surface of AgCo-R. At last, potential reaction pathways including five detailed steps were proposed.

Efficacious destruction of typical aromatic hydrocarbons over CoMn/Ni foam monolithic catalysts with boosted activity and water resistance

Developing cost-effective monolith catalyst with superior low-temperature activity is critical for oxidative efficacious removal of industrial volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, the complexity of the industrial flue gas conditions demands the need for high moisture tolerance, which is challenging. Herein, CoMn-Metal Organic Framework (CoMn-MOF) was in situ grown on Ni foam (NiF) at room temperature to synthesize the cost-effective monolith catalyst. The optimized catalyst, Co1Mn1/NiF, exhibited excellent performance in toluene oxidation (T90 = 239 °C) due to the substitution of manganese into the cobalt lattice. This substitution weakened the Co-O bond strength, creating more oxygen vacancies and increasing the active oxygen species content. Additionally, experimentally and computationally evidence revealed that the mutual inhibiting effect of three typical aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene and m-xylene) over the Co1Mn1/NiF catalyst was attributed to the competitive adsorption occurring on the active site. Furthermore, the Co1Mn1/NiF catalyst also presents outstanding water resistance, particularly at a concentration of 3 vol%, where the activity is even enhanced. This was attributed to the lower water adsorption and dissociation energy derived from the interaction between the bimetals. Results demonstrate that the dissociation of water vapor enables more reactive oxygen species to participate in the reaction which reduces the formation of intermediates and facilitates the reaction. This investigation provides new insights into the preparation of oxygen vacancy-rich monolith catalysts with high water resistance for practical applications.

Optimization of Photothermal Catalytic Reaction of Ethyl Acetate and NO Catalyzed by Biochar-Supported MnOx-TiO2 Catalysts

The substitution of ethyl acetate for ammonia in NH3-SCR provides a novel strategy for the simultaneous removal of VOCs and NO. In this study, three distinct types of biochar were fabricated through pyrolysis at 700 °C. MnOx and TiO2 were sequentially loaded onto these biochar substrates via a hydrothermal process, yielding a family of biochar-based catalysts with optimized dosages. Upon exposure to xenon lamp irradiation at 240 °C, the biochar catalyst designated as 700-12-3GN, derived from Ginkgo shells, demonstrated the highest catalytic activity when contrasted with its counterparts prepared from moso bamboo and loofah. The conversion efficiencies for NO and ethyl acetate (EA) peaked at 73.66% and 62.09%, respectively, at a catalyst loading of 300 mg. The characterization results indicate that the 700-12-3GN catalyst exhibits superior activity, which can be attributed to the higher concentration of Mn4+ and Ti4+ species, along with its superior redox properties and suitable elemental distribution. Notably, the 700-12-3GN catalyst has the smallest specific surface area but the largest pore volume and average BJH pore size, indicating that the specific surface area is not the predominant factor affecting catalyst performance. Instead, pore volume and average BJH pore diameter appear to be the more influential parameters. This research provides a reference and prospect for the resource utilization of biochar and the development of photothermal co-catalytic ethyl acetate and NO at low cost.

Chitosan -NH2 derived efficient Co3O4 catalyst for styrene catalytic oxidation: Simultaneously regulating particle size and Co valence

In this study, a Co3O4 catalyst is synthesised using the chitosan-assisted sol-gel method, which simultaneously regulates the grain size, Co valence and surface acidity of the catalyst through a chitosan functional group. The complexation of the free -NH2 complex inhibits particle agglomeration; thus, the average particle size of the catalyst decreases from 82 to 31 nm. Concurrently, Raman spectroscopy, hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy experiments demonstrate that doping with chitosan N sources effectively modulates Co2+ to promote the formation of oxygen vacancies. In addition, water washing after catalyst preparation can considerably improve the low-temperature (below 250 °C) activity of the catalyst and eliminate the side effects of alkali metal on catalyst activity. Moreover, the presence of Brønsted and Lewis acid sites promotes the adsorption of C8H8. Consequently, CS/Co3O4-W presents the highest catalytic oxidation activity for C8H8 at low temperatures (R250 °C = 8.33 μmol g-1 s-1, WHSV = 120,000 mL hr-1∙g-1). In situ DRIFTS and 18O2 isotope experiments demonstrate that the oxidation of the C8H8 reaction is primarily dominated by the Mars-van Krevelen mechanism. Furthermore, CS/Co3O4-W exhibits superior water resistance (1- and 2- vol% H2O), which has the potential to be implemented in industrial applications.

Prussian Blue Analogue-Derived Co3O4 as Catalysts for Enhanced Selective Oxidation of Cyclohexane Using Molecular Oxygen

Selective conversion of inert C-H bonds in alkanes into high-value-added functional groups (alcohols, ketones, carboxylic acids, etc.) plays a vital role in establishing a green and sustainable chemical industry. Catalytic selective oxidation of cyclohexane to KA oil (cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone) is a typical representative of alkane functionalization. In this work, hollow cage-like Co3O4 (Co3O4-C) and particle Co3O4 (Co3O4-P) were synthesized by calcining two types of Prussian blue analogues (PBAs), which were used to catalyze the selective oxidation of cyclohexane. The Co3O4-C predominantly exposed (311) crystal plane is easier to adsorb cyclohexane than Co3O4-P, which is beneficial to shorten the induction period, accelerate the reaction rate, and improve the conversion. Consequently, Co3O4-C displayed a 10% conversion of cyclohexane within 1 h, and the KA oil selectivity reached 90%. The Co3O4-P exposed (220) crystal plane has a higher molar percentage of oxygen vacancies and more active oxygen species, as well as a strong cyclohexanone adsorption capacity, which is conducive to the deep oxidation of cyclohexanone to adipic acid and other diacid products. The mechanism analysis of cyclohexane oxidation catalyzed by PBA-based Co3O4 shows that it exemplifies the feasibility to tailor the surface of catalysts by modulating the PBAs, which ultimately influences their reaction performance for accelerating the reaction and maintaining high cyclohexane conversion and KA oil selectivity.

Low-Temperature Propane Activation and Mineralization over a Co3O4 Sub-nanometer Porous Sheet: Atomic-Level Insights

Light alkanes make up a class of widespread volatile organic compounds (VOCs), bringing great environmental hazards and health concerns. However, the low-temperature catalytic destruction of light alkanes is still a great challenge to settle due to their high reaction inertness and weak polarity. Herein, a Co3O4 sub-nanometer porous sheet (Co3O4-SPS) was fabricated and comprehensively compared with its bulk counterparts in the catalytic oxidation of C3H8. Results demonstrated that abundant low-coordinated Co atoms on the Co3O4-SPS surface boost the activation of adsorbed oxygen and enhance the catalytic activity. Moreover, Co3O4-SPS has better surface metal properties, which is beneficial to electron transfer between the catalyst surface and the reactant molecules, promoting the interaction between C3H8 molecules and dissociated O atoms and facilitating the activation of C-H bonds. Due to these, Co3O4-SPS harvests a prominent performance for C3H8 destruction, 100% of which decomposed at 165 °C (apparent activation energy of 49.4 kJ mol-1), much better than the bulk Co3O4 (450 °C and 126.9 kJ mol-1) and typical noble metal catalysts. Moreover, Co3O4-SPS also has excellent thermal stability and water resistance. This study deepens the atomic-level insights into the catalytic capacity of Co3O4-SPS in light alkane purification and provides references for designing efficacious catalysts for thermocatalytic oxidation reactions.

Crystal Plane Effect of Co3O4 on Styrene Catalytic Oxidation: Insights into the Role of Co3+ and Oxygen Mobility at Diverse Temperatures

In the oxidation reaction of volatile organic compounds catalyzed by metal oxides, distinguishing the role of active metal sites and oxygen mobility at specific preferentially exposed crystal planes and diverse temperatures is challenging. Herein, Co₃O₄ catalysts with four different preferentially exposed crystal planes [(220), (222), (311), and (422)] and oxygen vacancy formation energies were synthesized and evaluated in styrene complete oxidation. It is demonstrated that the Co₃O₄ sheet (Co₃O₄-I) presents the highest C₈H₈ catalytic oxidation activity (R_250 °C = 8.26 μmol g^-1 s^-1 and WHSV = 120,000 mL h^-1 g^-1). Density functional theory studies reveal that it is difficult for the (311) and (222) crystal planes to form oxygen vacancies, but the (222) crystal plane is the most favorable for C₈H₈ adsorption regardless of the presence of oxygen vacancies. The combined analysis of temperature-programmed desorption and temperature-programmed surface reaction of C₈H₈ proves that Co₃O₄-I possesses the best C₈H₈ oxidation ability. It is proposed that specific surface area is vital at low temperature (below 250 °C) because it is related to the amount of surface-adsorbed oxygen species and low-temperature reducibility, while the ratio of surface Co³⁺/Co²⁺ plays a decisive role at higher temperature because of facile lattice oxygen mobility. In situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier spectroscopy and the ¹⁸O₂ isotope experiment demonstrate that C₈H₈ oxidation over Co₃O₄-I, Co₃O₄-S, Co₃O₄-C, and Co₃O₄-F is mainly dominated by the Mars-van Krevelen mechanism. Furthermore, Co₃O₄-I shows superior thermal stability (57 h) and water resistance (1, 3, and 5 vol % H₂O), which has the potential to be conducted in the actual industrial application.

Development of Quinary Layered Double Hydroxide-Derived High-Entropy Oxides for Toluene Catalytic Removal

In this work, a novel method for the preparation of high-entropy oxides (HEO) was successfully developed using multivariate composition layered double hydroxides (LDHs) as precursor. Thermal treatment over 600 °C led to the complete transformation of LDHs to single spinel phase HEOs. The performance of the obtained HEO catalysts in the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was studied with the catalytic oxidation of toluene as the probe reaction. The optimized HEO-600 catalyst showed impressive activity and stability over toluene catalytic oxidation, which resulted from the vast quantity of surface oxygen vacancies and the relative variable metal valence. The T50 and T90 values of HEO-600 were 246 and 254 °C, and the T90 value only presented a slight increase to 265 °C after a 10-cycle test. This work developed a simple way to obtain HEO materials and provide technical support for the application of HEO catalysts for VOCs removal.

Nickel Nanoparticles for Liquid Phase Toluene Oxidation – Phenomenon, Opportunities and Challenges

Effective oxidative transformation of toluene into valuable products was achieved under solvent‐free reaction conditions with as‐prepared nickel nanoparticles as heterogeneous catalysts in liquid phase. The crystalline structure and size of the as‐prepared nanoparticles were confirmed by X‐ray diffractometry (XRD) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The catalytic implications of the different crystalline forms (face‐centred cubic: fcc; hexagonal close‐packed: hcp) of these nanocatalysts were investigated. The product selectivity of toluene oxidation was found to vary depending on the crystalline forms of the catalyst. Fcc nanocatalysts showed remarkable chemoselectivity (83 mol %) for the product benzyl alcohol and were readily reusable. In contrast, the hcp Ni phase showed reasonable reusability but lower chemoselectivity (29 mol %) compared to its fcc counterpart. Moreover, the simple organic solvents used had a remarkable effect on the crystal structure and phase purity of the Ni nanocrystals, which also affected the catalytic process.

Pd/δ-MnO2 nanoflower arrays cordierite monolithic catalyst toward toluene and o-xylene combustion

Exploring high-efficiency and stable monolithic structured catalysts is vital for catalytic combustion of volatile organic compounds. Herein, we prepared a series of Pd/δ-MnO₂ nanoflower arrays monolithic integrated catalysts (0.01–0.07 wt% theoretical Pd loading) via the hydrothermal growth of δ-MnO₂ nanoflowers onto the honeycomb cordierite, which subsequently served as the carrier for loading the Pd nanoparticles (NPs) through the electroless plating route. Moreover, we characterized the resulting monolithic integrated catalysts in detail and evaluated their catalytic activities for toluene combustion, in comparison to the controlled samples including only Pd NPs loading and the δ-MnO₂ nanoflower arrays. Amongst all the monolithic samples, the Pd/δ-MnO₂ nanoflower arrays monolithic catalyst with 0.05 wt% theoretical Pd loading delivered the best catalytic performance, reaching 90% toluene conversion at 221°C at a gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 10,000 h⁻¹. Moreover, this sample displayed superior catalytic activity for o-xylene combustion under a GHSV of 10,000 h⁻¹. The monolithic sample with optimal catalytic activity also displayed excellent catalytic stability after 30 h constant reaction at 210 and 221°C.

Insights into the Redox and Structural Properties of CoOx and MnOx: Fundamental Factors Affecting the Catalytic Performance in the Oxidation Process of VOCs

Volatile organic compound (VOC) abatement has become imperative nowadays due to their harmful effect on human health and on the environment. Catalytic oxidation has appeared as an innovative and promising approach, as the pollutants can be totally oxidized at moderate operating temperatures under 500 °C. The most active single oxides in the total oxidation of hydrocarbons have been shown to be manganese and cobalt oxides. The main factors affecting the catalytic performances of several metal-oxide catalysts, including CoOx and MnOx, in relation to the total oxidation of hydrocarbons have been reviewed. The influence of these factors is directly related to the Mars–van Krevelen mechanism, which is known to be applied in the case of the oxidation of VOCs in general and hydrocarbons in particular, using transitional metal oxides as catalysts. The catalytic behaviors of the studied oxides could be closely related to their redox properties, their nonstoichiometric, defective structure, and their lattice oxygen mobility. The control of the structural and textural properties of the studied metal oxides, such as specific surface area and specific morphology, plays an important role in catalytic applications. A fundamental challenge in the development of efficient and low-cost catalysts is to choose the criteria for selecting them. Therefore, this research could be useful for tailoring advanced and high-performance catalysts for the total oxidation of VOCs.

Magnesium-Modified Co3O4 Catalyst with Remarkable Performance for Toluene Low Temperature Deep Oxidation

Co3O4, MgCo2O4 and MgO materials have been synthesized using a simple co-precipitation approach and systematically characterized. The total conversion of toluene to CO2 and H2O over spinel MgCo2O4 with wormlike morphology has been investigated. Compared with single metal oxides (Co3O4 and MgO), MgCo2O4 with the highest activity has exhibited almost 100% oxidation of toluene at 255 °C. The obtained results are analogous to typical precious metal supported catalysts. The activation energy of toluene over MgCo2O4 (38.5 kJ/mol) is found to be much lower than that of Co3O4 (68.9 kJ/mol) and MgO ((87.8 kJ/mol)). Compared with the single Co and Mg metal oxide, the as-prepared spinel MgCo2O4 exhibits a larger surface area, highest absorbed oxygen and more oxygen vacancies, thus highest mobility of oxygen species due to its good redox capability. Furthermore, the samples specific surface area, low-temperature reducibility and surface adsorbed oxygenated species ratio decreased as follows: MgCo2O4 > Co3O4 > MgO; which is completely in line with the catalytic performance trends and constitute the reasons for MgCo2O4 high excellent activity towards toluene total oxidation. The overall finding supported by ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of toluene oxidation on the Co3O4 and MgCo2O4 suggest that the catalytic process follows a Mars–van Krevelen mechanism.

Synergistic effects in Mn-Co mixed oxide supported on cordierite honeycomb for catalytic deep oxidation of VOCs

A series of Co-Mn mixed oxide catalyst supported on a cordierite monolith was facilely synthesized by ultrasonic impregnation. Its catalytic performance was evaluated in the combustion of toluene, ethyl acetate and its mixture. It was observed that with incorporating Mn into Co₃O₄, the formation of solid solution with spinel structure could significantly improve the catalytic activity of pure phase Co₃O₄. And the monolithic Co_0.67Mn_0.33O_x catalyst showed the best catalytic performance in the catalytic oxidation of toluene and ethyl acetate which could be completely oxidized at 220 and 180°C respectively under the reaction velocity (WHSV) about 45,000 mL/(g•hr) and pollutant concentration of 500 ppmV. The total conversion temperature of the VOCs mixture was at 230°C (500 ppmV toluene and 500 ppmV ethyl acetate) and determined by the temperature at which the most difficult molecule was oxidized. The excellent catalytic performance of monolithic Co_0.67Mn_0.33O_x was attributed to the higher content of Mn³⁺, Co³⁺, surface adsorbed oxygen and better redox ability. The prepared catalyst showed the good mechanical stability, reaction stability, and good adaptability to different reaction conditions.

Bulk Co3O4 for Methane Oxidation: Effect of the Synthesis Route on Physico-Chemical Properties and Catalytic Performance

The synthesis of bulk pure Co3O4 catalysts by different routes has been examined in order to obtain highly active catalysts for lean methane combustion. Thus, eight synthesis methodologies, which were selected based on their relatively low complexity and easiness for scale-up, were evaluated. The investigated procedures were direct calcination of two different cobalt precursors (cobalt nitrate and cobalt hydroxycarbonate), basic grinding route, two basic precipitation routes with ammonium carbonate and sodium carbonate, precipitation-oxidation, solution combustion synthesis and sol-gel complexation. A commercial Co3O4 was also used as a reference. Among the several examined methodologies, direct calcination of cobalt hydroxycarbonate (HC sample), basic grinding (GB sample) and basic precipitation employing sodium carbonate as the precipitating agent (CC sample) produced bulk catalysts with fairly good textural and structural properties, and remarkable redox properties, which were found to be crucial for their good performance in the oxidation of methane. All catalysts attained full conversion and 100% selectivity towards CO2 formation at a temperature of 600 °C while operating at 60,000 h−1. Among these, the CC catalyst was the only one that achieved a specific reaction rate higher than that of the reference commercial Co3O4 catalyst.

Highly Active Co3O4-Based Catalysts for Total Oxidation of Light C1-C3 Alkanes Prepared by a Simple Soft Chemistry Method: Effect of the Heat-Treatment Temperature and Mixture of Alkanes

In the present work, a simple soft chemistry method was employed to prepare cobalt mixed oxide (Co₃O₄) materials, which have shown remarkably high activity in the heterogeneously catalyzed total oxidation of low reactive VOCs such as the light alkanes propane, ethane, and methane. The optimal heat-treatment temperature of the catalysts was shown to depend on the reactivity of the alkane studied. The catalytic activity of the Co₃O₄ catalysts was found to be as high as that of the most effective catalysts based on noble metals. The physicochemical properties, from either the bulk (using XRD, TPR, TPD-O₂, and TEM) or the surface (using XPS), of the catalysts were investigated to correlate the properties with the catalytic performance in the total oxidation of VOCs. The presence of S1 low-coordinated oxygen species at the near surface of the Co₃O₄-based catalysts appeared to be linked with the higher reducibility of the catalysts and, consequently, with the higher catalytic activity, not only per mass of catalyst but also per surface area (enhanced areal rate). The co-presence of propane and methane in the feed at low reaction temperatures did not negatively affect the propane reactivity. However, the co-presence of propane and methane in the feed at higher reaction temperatures negatively affected the methane reactivity.

Current progress on catalytic oxidation of toluene: a review

Toluene is one of the pollutants that are dangerous to the environment and human health and has been sorted into priority pollutants; hence, the control of its emission is necessary. Due to severe problems caused by toluene, different techniques for the abatement of toluene have been developed. Catalytic oxidation is one of the promising methods and effective technologies for toluene degradation as it oxidizes it to CO₂ and does not deliver other pollutants to the environment. This paper highlights the recent progressive advancement of the catalysts for toluene oxidation. Five categories of catalysts, including noble metal catalysts, transition metal catalysts, perovskite catalysts, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-based catalysts, and spinel catalysts reported in the past half a decade (2015-2020), are reviewed. Various factors that influence their catalytic activities, such as morphology and structure, preparation methods, specific surface area, relative humidity, and coke formation, are discussed. Furthermore, the reaction mechanisms and kinetics for catalytic oxidation of toluene are also discussed.

Rational design of novel three-dimensional reticulated Ag2O/ZnO Z-scheme heterojunction on Ni foam for promising practical photocatalysis

Direct Z-scheme heterojunctions composed of Ag₂O nanoparticles and ZnO nanorods were immobilized on Ni foam (AZN) via combined hydrothermal and precipitation methods to successfully construct 3D reticulated composites, and their photocatalytic performance were evaluated under simulated sunlight. Just as expected, the AZN samples exhibited excellent photocatalytic effects of 99.26% for the model pollutant (rhodamine B) in water after loading with Ag₂O, which was 2.77 times higher than that of regular ZnO NAs/Ni foam composites. Meanwhile, the surface wettability of composite was remarkably enhanced. Besides, a series of photoelectrochemical measurements showed a significant improvement in the charge separation efficiency of AZN, which was attributed to the synergistic effect of direct Z-scheme heterojunction, matched energy band structure as well as 3D porous structure. Moreover, the AZN sample presented satisfactory stability after four cycles, meanwhile it displayed good removal performance against different types of antibiotics (Tetracycline, Sulfadiazine and Ciprofloxacin). The applicability and durability of AZN for rhodamine B degradation were evaluated by sequential batch experiments in a homemade simulated flowing water device. More importantly, the lower value of electrical energy per order indicated the photocatalyst/simulated sunlight system was more energy efficient and effective. Accordingly, this work provided a new strategy for designing 3D reticulated composites with low-dimensional nanomaterials to decompose organic pollutants in impaired waters.

Mechanochemically Prepared Co3O4-CeO2 Catalysts for Complete Benzene Oxidation

Considerable efforts to reduce the harmful emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been directed towards the development of highly active and economically viable catalytic materials for complete hydrocarbon oxidation. The present study is focused on the complete benzene oxidation as a probe reaction for VOCs abatement over Co3O4-CeO2 mixed oxides (20, 30, and 40 wt.% of ceria) synthesized by the more sustainable, in terms of less waste, less energy and less hazard, mechanochemical mixing of cerium hydroxide and cobalt hydroxycarbonate precursors. The catalysts were characterized by BET, powder XRD, H2-TPR, UV resonance Raman spectroscopy, and XPS techniques. The mixed oxides exhibited superior catalytic activity in comparison with Co3O4, thus, confirming the promotional role of ceria. The close interaction between Co3O4 and CeO2 phases, induced by mechanochemical treatment, led to strained Co3O4 and CeO2 surface structures. The most significant surface defectiveness was attained for 70 wt.% Co3O4-30 wt.% CeO2. A trend of the highest surface amount of Co3+, Ce3+ and adsorbed oxygen species was evidenced for the sample with this optimal composition. The catalyst exhibited the best performance and 100% benzene conversion was reached at 200 °C (relatively low temperature for noble metal-free oxide catalysts). The catalytic activity at 200 °C was stable without any products of incomplete benzene oxidation. The results showed promising catalytic properties for effective VOCs elimination over low-cost Co3O4-CeO2 mixed oxides synthesized by simple and eco-friendly mechanochemical mixing.

Boosting Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution: Superhydrophilic/Superaerophobic Hierarchical Nanoneedle/Microflower Arrays of CexCo3-xO4 with Oxygen Vacancies

The oxygen evolution reaction has become the bottleneck of electrochemical water splitting for its sluggish kinetics. Developing high-efficiency and low-cost non-noble-metal oxide electrocatalysts is crucial but challenging for industrial application. Herein, superhydrophilic/superaerophobic hierarchical nanoneedle/microflower arrays of Ce-substituted Co₃O₄ (Ce_xCo_3-xO₄) in situ grown on the nickel foam are successfully constructed. The hierarchical architecture and superhydrophilic/superaerophobic interface can be facilely regulated by controlling the introduction of Ce into Co₃O₄. The unique feature of hierarchical architecture and superhydrophilic/superaerophobic interface is in favor of electrolyte penetration and bubbles release. In addition, the presence of oxygen vacancy and Ce endows the catalyst with enhanced intrinsic activity. Benefiting from these advantages, the optimized Ce_0.12Co_2.88O₄ catalyst shows a superior electrocatalytic performance for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with an overpotential of 282 mV at 20 mA cm^-2, and a Tafel slope of 81.4 mV dec^-1. The turnover frequency of 0.0279 s^-1 for Ce_0.12Co_2.88O₄ is 9.3 times larger than that for Co₃O₄ at an overpotential of 350 mV. Moreover, the optimized Ce_0.12Co_2.88O₄ catalyst shows a robust long-term stability in alkaline media.

Design of Co3O4@SiO2 Nanorattles for Catalytic Toluene Combustion Based on Bottom-Up Strategy Involving Spherical Poly(styrene-co-acrylic Acid) Template

Bearing in mind the need to develop optimal transition metal oxide-based catalysts for the combustion of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), yolk-shell materials were proposed. The constructed composites contained catalytically active Co3O4 nanoparticles, protected against aggregation and highly dispersed in a shell made of porous SiO2, forming a specific type of nanoreactor. The bottom-up synthesis started with obtaining spherical poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) copolymer (PS30) cores, which were then covered with the SiO2 layer. The Co3O4 active phase was deposited by impregnation using the PS30@SiO2 composite as well as hollow SiO2 spheres with the removed copolymer core. Structure (XRD), morphology (SEM), chemical composition (XRF), state of the active phase (UV-Vis-DR and XPS) and reducibility (H2-TPR) of the obtained catalysts were studied. It was proven that the introduction of Co3O4 nanoparticles into the empty SiO2 spheres resulted in their loose distribution, which facilitated the access of reagents to active sites and, on the other hand, promoted the involvement of lattice oxygen in the catalytic process. As a result, the catalysts obtained in this way showed a very high activity in the combustion of toluene, which significantly exceeded that achieved over a standard silica gel supported Co3O4 catalyst.

Defect Induced Polarization Loss in Multi-Shelled Spinel Hollow Spheres for Electromagnetic Wave Absorption Application

Defect engineering is an effective approach to manipulate electromagnetic (EM) parameters and enhance absorption ability, but defect induced dielectric loss dominant mechanism has not been completely clarified. Here the defect induced dielectric loss dominant mechanism in virtue of multi-shelled spinel hollow sphere for the first time is demonstrated. The unique but identical morphology design as well as suitable composition modulation for serial spinels can exclude the disturbance of EM wave dissipation from dipolar/interfacial polarization and conduction loss. In temperature-regulated defect in NiCo2O4 serial materials, two kinds of defects, defect in spinel structure and oxygen vacancy are detected. Defect in spinel structure played more profound role on determining materials' EM wave dissipation than that of oxygen vacancy. When evaluated serial Co-based materials as absorbers, defect induced polarization loss is responsible for the superior absorption performance of NiCo2O4-based material due to its more defect sites in spinel structure. It is discovered that electron spin resonance test may be adopted as a novel approach to directly probe EM wave absorption capacities of materials. This work not only provides a strategy to prepare lightweight, efficient EM wave absorber but also illustrates the importance of defect engineering on regulation of materials' dielectric loss capacity.

Bimetallic Pt-Co Nanoparticle Deposited on Alumina for Simultaneous CO and Toluene Oxidation in the Presence of Moisture

Carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HCs) generally have competitive adsorption on the active site of noble-metal nano-catalysts, thus developing an effective way to reduce the passivation of competitive reaction with each other is an urgent problem. In this study, we successfully synthesized transition metal-noble metal (Pt-M) alloys via introducing inexpensive metal elements (M = Ni, Co and Cu) into Pt particles and then deposited on alumina support to form Pt-based catalysts. Subsequently, we choose CO and toluene as polluting gases to evaluate the catalytic activities of Pt-M/Al2O3 catalysts. Introducing inexpensive metal elements (M = Ni, Co, and Cu) significantly changed the physicochemical properties and catalytic activities of these Pt-based catalysts. It can be found that the Pt-Co/Al2O3 catalyst exhibited outstanding catalytic activity for CO and toluene oxidation under mixed gas atmosphere, compared with other Pt-based catalysts, which is due to the higher dispersity, more surface adsorption oxygen, and well redox ability. Surprisingly, H2O could promote the catalytic activities for CO/toluene co-oxidation over the Pt-Co/Al2O3 catalyst. Thus, the present synthetic strategy not only opens an avenue towards the synthesis of noble metal-based catalysts, but also provides an excellent tolerance to H2O in the catalytic process.

Preparation of the Mn/Co mixed oxide catalysts for low-temperature CO oxidation reaction

The Mn/Co mixed powders with various Mn/Co molar ratios were prepared by the coprecipitation method and used in low-temperature CO oxidation. The physicochemical characteristics of these powders were characterized using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses. The results demonstrated that the Mn/Co molar ratio significantly affected both the textural and catalytic properties and the sample with a Mn/Co = 1:1 possessed a BET area of 123.7 m²g^-1 with a small mean pore size of 6.44 nm. The catalytic results revealed that the pure cobalt and manganese catalysts possessed the low catalytic activity and the pure Co catalyst is not active at temperatures lower than 140 °C. The highest catalytic activity was observed for the catalyst with a Mn/Co = 1. The obtained results showed that the incorporation of Pd into the Mn/Co catalyst significantly enhanced the catalytic activity for oxidation of carbon monoxide and the highest CO conversion was observed for the catalyst with 1 wt.% Pd and this catalyst exhibited a CO conversion of 100% at 80 ^°C.

Encapsulation of Co3 O4 Nanocone Arrays via Ultrathin NiO for Superior Performance Asymmetric Supercapacitors

Designing of multicomponent transition metal oxide system through the employment of advanced atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique over nanostructures obtained from wet chemical process is a novel approach to construct rational supercapacitor electrodes. Following the strategy, core-shell type NiO/Co₃ O₄ nanocone array structures are architectured over Ni-foam (NF) substrate. The high-aspect-ratio Co₃ O₄ nanocones are hydrothermally grown over NF following the precision controlled deposition of shell NiO considering Co₃ O₄ nanocone as host. NiO thickness of 5 nm exhibits the highest specific capacity of 1242 C g^-1 (2760 F g^-1 ) at current density 2 A g^-1 , which is greater than pristine Co₃ O₄ @NF (1045.8 C g^-1 or 2324 F g^-1 ). The rate capability with 5 nm NiO/Co₃ O₄ @NF nanocone structures is about 77% whereas Co₃ O₄ @NF retains 46 % of capability at 10 A g^-1 . The ultrathin ALD 5 nm NiO accelerates both rate capability and 95.5% cyclic stability after 12 000 charge-discharge cycles. An asymmetric device fabricated between 5 nm NiO/Co₃ O₄ @NF (positive) || activated carbon (negative) achieves an energy density of 81.45 Wh kg^-1 (4268 W kg^-1 ) with good cycling device stability. Additionally, LEDs can be energized by two ASC device in series. This work opens the path in both advanced electrode material and surface modification of earth-abundant systems for efficient and real-time supercapacitor applications.

Precise design and synthesis of Pd/InOx@CoOx core-shell nanofibers for the highly efficient catalytic combustion of toluene

In this work, Pd/InO_x@CoO_x core-shell nanofibers, CoO_x@Pd/InO_x core-shell nanofibers and Pd/InO_x/CoO_x nanofibers with different morphologies have been successfully synthesized for the catalytic combustion of toluene. Among them, the Pd/InO_x@CoO_x core-shell sample is novel and composed of Pd/InO_x nanotube cores, CoO_x nanocubes and CoO_x nanoparticle shells derived from ZIF-67. On the contrary, the CoO_x@Pd/InO_x core-shell catalyst is assembled by CoO_x nanocube cores and Pd/InO_x nanotube shells. Finally, the Pd/InO_x/CoO_x nanofibers as references are synthesized by a method similar to the synthesis of the CoO_x@Pd/InO_x core-shell sample. Interestingly, the Pd/InO_x@CoO_x core-shell sample displayed the best activity for toluene oxidation with T₉₀ = 253 °C, good thermal stability and good cyclic stability during three runs. Through some characterizations, it was verified that the Pd/InO_x@CoO_x core-shell sample exhibited the best performance for toluene oxidation reactions due to a larger specific surface area, higher reducibility, more abundant structural defects and oxygen vacancies, higher proportion of Pd⁰ and Co³⁺ species and higher lattice oxygen species than others. Simultaneously, the Pd/InO_x@CoO_x core-shell sample exhibited good thermal stability and cyclic stability, which might be due to the layer of the CoO_x shell to protect the stability of the Pd nanoparticle core.

Enhanced catalytic performance for volatile organic compound oxidation over in-situ growth of MnOx on Co3O4 nanowire

Hierarchical Co₃O₄@MnOx material has been synthesized by in-suit growth of MnOx on the Co₃O₄ and applied in catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Results revealed that T₉₀ of acetone on the Co₃O₄@MnOx was 195 °C, which was 36 °C and 32 °C lower than that on the Co₃O₄ and MnOx/Co₃O₄, respectively. The universality experiments demonstrated that T₉₀ of ethyl acetate and toluene on the Co₃O₄@MnOx were 200 °C and 222 °C, respectively. The above results indicated that Co₃O₄@MnOx catalyst presented a robust catalytic performance. Characterization results showed that high catalytic activity of the Co₃O₄@MnOx catalyst could be attributed to the improvement of low temperature reducibility, the enhancement of Co³⁺ and adsorbed oxygen species resulted from the sufficient reaction between MnO₄^- and Co²⁺ during secondary hydrothermal process. Furthermore, stability and water-resistance experiments showed the Co₃O₄@MnOx catalyst with high cycle and long-term stability, satisfied endurability to 5.5-10 vol. % water vapor at 210 °C.

Toluene oxidation over Co3+-rich spinel Co3O4: Evaluation of chemical and by-product species identified by in situ DRIFTS combined with PTR-TOF-MS

Series of Co³⁺-rich spinel Co₃O₄ catalysts were synthesized and evaluated by toluene catalytic oxidation. An outstanding activity was achieved over Co₃O₄-N utilizing Co(NO₃)₂·6H₂O as precursor (T₅₀ = 211 °C, T₉₀ = 217 °C at conditions: 1000 ppm(v), WHSV = 60 000 mL g^-1 h^-1). Results of comparative characterizations demonstrated that such excellent performance was mainly attributed to large surface area, high reducibility at low temperature, high abundance of Co³⁺ ions and structure defects, as well as highly active surface oxygen. The results of in situ DRIFTS revealed that in the air or N₂ atmosphere, the by-products were almost the same. The reaction pathway of toluene oxidation can be described as follow: transformation of toluene from benzyl alcohol, benzaldehyde, benzoate, benzene, phenol, benzoquinone, maleic acid and to final products, which were fully confirmed by PTR-TOF-MS. Besides, ring opened by-products, such as acetone, acetic acid, acetaldehyde, etc. were also detected. In this work, the combination of in situ DRIFTS and PTR-TOF-MS provided a promising approach for further understanding of the mechanism of VOCs elimination.