Improved redox synthesis of Mn–Co bimetallic oxide catalysts using citric acid and their toluene oxidation activity

In this work, high-activity cobalt-doped α-MnO(2) hybrid materials were prepared using the citric acid oxidation reduction (CR) technique and applied to the catalytic oxidation of toluene. Compared to the traditional processes such as sol–gel, co-precipitation and our previous reported self-driving combustion process, the microstructure of Mn–Co bimetallic oxide catalyst is easier to regulated as well as the dispersion of active phase. Moreover, some accurate characterization techniques such as XRD, H(2)-TPR, O(2)-TPD, SEM, TEM, and XPS have been employed, to further illustrate the intrinsic factors for the efficient catalytic oxidation of toluene. It was ultimately found that the CR-Mn10Co1 prepared by citric acid oxidation reduction method could catalyze the oxidation of 90% of toluene at 232 °C, and its excellent catalytic performance was significantly related to its large specific surface area, excellent oxidation reduction ability, and abundant Mn(3+) species and oxygen vacancy content. Therefore, citric acid oxidation reduction (CR) provides a convenient and effective route for the efficient and low-cost synthesis of Mn–Co catalysts for removing VOCs.