Catalytic oxidation of formaldehyde on ultrathin Co₃O₄ nanosheets at room temperature: Effect of enhanced active sites exposure on reaction path

Rong LI, Xianjin SHI, Yu HUANG, Meijuan CHEN, Dandan ZHU, Wing Kei HO, Junji CAO, Shuncheng LEE

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43 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This research precisely controlled the thickness of Co₃O₄ nanosheets to investigate the effect of active sites exposure on the reaction path of HCHO catalytic oxidation. X-ray absorption fine structure demonstrates that ultrathin Co₃O₄ nanosheets (Co₃O₄-2) with atomic layer thickness (~2 nm) exhibit stronger lattice disorder than Co₃O₄ nanosheets with a thickness of 20 nm (Co₃O₄-20). Aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy confirms that two-dimensional structure and disordered structure of Co₃O₄-2 enhances the surface exposure of active sites (Co³⁺ and oxygen vacancies). Therefore, Co₃O₄-2 can produce more reactive oxygen species, avoiding the side reaction path dominated by undesired intermediates over Co₃O₄-20, where active sites are blocked and HCHO oxidation is inhibited. Consequently, the HCHO removal efficiency (>90%) and CO₂ conversion efficiency (>90%) of Co₃O₄-2 are substantially higher than thicker Co₃O₄ nanosheets. This research provides an effective strategy to construct active sites and deep insights into the reaction path. Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Original languageEnglish
Article number121902
JournalApplied Catalysis B: Environmental
Volume319
Early online dateAug 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2022

Citation

Li, R., Shi, X., Huang, Y., Chen, M., Zhu, D., Ho, W., . . . Lee, S. (2022). Catalytic oxidation of formaldehyde on ultrathin Co₃O₄ nanosheets at room temperature: Effect of enhanced active sites exposure on reaction path. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 319. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2022.121902

Keywords

  • Cobalt oxides
  • Ultrathin nanosheets
  • Active sites
  • Formaldehyde
  • Reaction path

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