Anionic starch-induced Cu-based composite with flake-like mesostructure for gas-phase propanal efficient removal.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Catalysis
• Environmental Chemistry

Background:

• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) pose environmental and health risks.
• Efficient catalytic oxidation is crucial for VOC abatement.
• Developing cost-effective and high-performance catalysts is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize highly crystalline flake-like CuCeO2-δ composites (strCCx) using an economic bio-template route.
• To investigate the physicochemical properties and catalytic performance of these composites for propanal oxidation.
• To elucidate the structure-activity relationship governing their catalytic efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Bio-template synthesis using modified starch as a chelating agent and template.
• Comprehensive characterization using FT-IR, XRD, TG, N2 adsorption/desorption, FE-SEM, TEM, H2-TPR, O2-TPD, XPS, DRUV-Vis, and XAFS.
• Evaluation of catalytic performance for propanal oxidation, a model oxygen-contained VOC.

Main Results:

• The synthesis yielded highly crystalline, flake-like CuCeO2-δ with developed mesoporosity.
• Copper ions incorporated into the CeO2 lattice created oxygen vacancies and enhanced reducibility.
• The optimal catalyst (Cu/(Cu+Ce)=0.15) exhibited a high surface area (108.2 m²/g) and efficiently removed propanal at 230°C.
• Catalyst activity correlated positively with specific surface area and surface oxygen concentration.
• The catalyst demonstrated high tolerance to moisture.

Conclusions:

• The bio-template route is effective for preparing advanced CuCeO2-δ catalysts.
• Specific surface area and surface oxygen density are critical factors for catalytic activity in VOC oxidation.
• The developed strCCx material shows promise for efficient and cost-effective VOC abatement applications.