Abstract
Catalytic oxidation of toluene by employing manganese dioxide (MnO2) as catalysts has shown great potential, however, the huge energy demands during the MnO2 catalytic process limits its application. Herein, a new type of MnO2/SiO2 nanocomposites with outstanding solar light-driven photo-thermo catalysis activity was successfully fabricated. The MnO2 nanoparticles in homogeneous dispersion state were decorated on the surface of SiO2 nanofiber. The abundant hydroxyl groups on the surface of SiO2 nanofiber facilitated toluene enrichment. Moreover, abundant oxygen vacancies were generated through the substitution between the Mn4+ and Si4+, which improved the concentration and mobility of active oxygen. An excellent photo-thermo catalytic activity of MnO2/SiO2 nanocomposites on toluene degradation was observed with a significant CO2 yield (100 %) and high value of CO2 production rate under simulated sunlight, which was much superior to that of P25 and MnO2 powders. The mechanism of the enhanced catalytic performance of MnO2/SiO2 nanocomposite is ascribed to the synergism of photo-activation and solar light-driven thermo-catalytic oxidation. This work demonstrates a new route to develop MnO2-based photo-thermo catalyst and provides an energy-saving way for toluene removal on overall utilization of solar energy.
Published Version
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