In-situ modulation of -MnO₂ surface oxygen vacancies for photothermal catalytic oxidation of propane: Insights into activity and synergistic mechanism

Crystallographic effects in photothermal synergistic catalytic oxidation (PTSCO) system for VOCs removal are essential but still lack in-depth systematic studies. Therefore, key factors and synergistic mechanism of propane removal by MnO2 with different crystal planes in PTSCO system were investigated. The results showed that 160M 300 with the mainly exposed (110) crystal plane displayed the optimal activity (T90 = 235 degrees C, TOF = 4.90 x 10(-7)center dot s (-1)) and long-term stability (40 h) due to the abundant oxygen vacancies (OVs) controlled by the crystal planes, outstanding low temperature reduction ability and higher oxygen mobility. OVs substantially enhanced the adsorption and activation of propane and O2, and accelerated the efficient separation of photogenerated electrons and holes by capturing the electrons. Correspondingly, density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirmed that (110) crystal facet had the lowest OVs generation energy and work function, based on which, a multi-pathway enhancement mechanism of PTSCO was proposed. This study clarified the crystal-PTSCO activity dependence, provided theoretical support for the efficient and energy-saving removal of low-carbon alkanes.