MnxCo3-xO4 Microtubules with Enhanced Catalytic Activity Towards Toluene Combustion: Effects of Redox Property and Oxygen Species

The redox property and oxygen species play an important role in the catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In this paper, a series of MnxCo3-xO4 catalysts with tubular structure were synthesized and applied for the catalytic combustion of toluene. Various characterization technologies were employed to reveal the relationship between the catalytic performance of the MnxCo3-xO4 catalysts and Mn doping. The results of XRD, SEM and N-2 adsorption-desorption analyses showed that the Mn doping had significant effects on the structure and morphology of the MnxCo3-xO4 catalysts. The H-2-TPR, O-2-TPD, and XPS results proved that the strong interaction between Co and Mn resulted in the enhanced O-latt mobility, the richer active oxygen species, and the enhanced redox property in comparison with the pure Co3O4 sample, which were crucial to the improvement of the catalytic activity of Co-Mn catalysts. The best catalyst, Co5-Mn5 sample, exhibited a good and stable activity to catalytically oxidize toluene at low temperatures even in the presence of water vapor, indicating that it is a potential material to be used in the commercialization of catalytic abatement of toluene.