Terminal Hydroxyl Groups on Al2O3 Supports Influence the Valence State and Dispersity of Ag Nanoparticles: Implications for Ozone Decomposition.

Ozone is a poisonous gas, so it is necessary to remove excessive ozone in the environment. Catalytic decomposition is an effective way to remove ozone at room temperature. In this work, 10%Ag/nano-Al2O3 and 10%Ag/AlOOH-900 catalysts were synthesized by the impregnation method. The 10%Ag/nano-Al2O3 catalyst showed 89% ozone conversion for 40 ppm O3 for 6 h under a space velocity of 840 000 h-1 and a relative humidity of 65%, which is superior to 10%Ag/AlOOH-900 (45% conversion). The characterization results showed Ag nanoparticles to be the active sites for ozone decomposition, which were more highly dispersed on nano-Al2O3 as a result of the greater density of terminal hydroxyl groups. The understanding of the dispersion and valence of silver species gained in this study will be beneficial to the design of more efficient supported silver catalysts for ozone decomposition in the future.