Interface modulation of Mn-N₄-C with optimized oxygen-containing functional groups for highly efficient mercury...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Chemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Industrial gaseous mercury pollution poses significant environmental and health risks.
• Effective capture of elemental mercury requires optimized reaction interfaces.
• Heterogeneous reactions are critical for industrial pollution control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an atomically dispersed manganese catalyst for enhanced elemental mercury adsorption.
• To investigate the role of coordination environment in mercury capture performance.
• To evaluate the material's stability and efficacy under industrial flue gas conditions.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of atomically dispersed manganese confined within a heteroatom-doped carbon framework (Mn-N4-C).
• Characterization of the material's structure and coordination environment.
• Mercury adsorption experiments under various industrial flue gas conditions (temperature, presence of NO, HCl, H2O).
• Theoretical simulations to elucidate adsorption mechanisms.

Main Results:

• Mn-N4-C material demonstrated high elemental mercury adsorption capacity (up to 29.5 mg/g).
• Oxygen-containing functional groups in Mn-N4-C(EDA) significantly enhanced mercury affinity.
• The material exhibited excellent tolerance to industrial flue gas conditions (16.4 ± 0.2 mg/g at 20-200 °C).
• Theoretical simulations confirmed the crucial role of Mn-O bonds in enhancing adsorption.

Conclusions:

• Atomically dispersed Mn-N4-C with oxygen functionalization is a highly effective adsorbent for elemental mercury.
• The material's robust performance under diverse industrial conditions facilitates practical applications.
• Modulating metal-oxygen bonds presents a viable strategy for advancing mercury adsorption technologies.