Low-Temperature Propane Activation and Mineralization over a Co 3 O 4 Sub-nanometer Porous Sheet: Atomic-Level Insights.

Light alkanes make up a class of widespread volatile organic compounds (VOCs), bringing great environmental hazards and health concerns. However, the low-temperature catalytic destruction of light alkanes is still a great challenge to settle due to their high reaction inertness and weak polarity. Herein, a Co 3 O 4 sub-nanometer porous sheet (Co 3 O 4 -SPS) was fabricated and comprehensively compared with its bulk counterparts in the catalytic oxidation of C 3 H 8 . Results demonstrated that abundant low-coordinated Co atoms on the Co 3 O 4 -SPS surface boost the activation of adsorbed oxygen and enhance the catalytic activity. Moreover, Co 3 O 4 -SPS has better surface metal properties, which is beneficial to electron transfer between the catalyst surface and the reactant molecules, promoting the interaction between C 3 H 8 molecules and dissociated O atoms and facilitating the activation of C-H bonds. Due to these, Co 3 O 4 -SPS harvests a prominent performance for C 3 H 8 destruction, 100% of which decomposed at 165 °C (apparent activation energy of 49.4 kJ mol -1 ), much better than the bulk Co 3 O 4 (450 °C and 126.9 kJ mol -1 ) and typical noble metal catalysts. Moreover, Co 3 O 4 -SPS also has excellent thermal stability and water resistance. This study deepens the atomic-level insights into the catalytic capacity of Co 3 O 4 -SPS in light alkane purification and provides references for designing efficacious catalysts for thermocatalytic oxidation reactions.