Enhanced combustion of toluene on bimetallic-organic frameworks Fe-doped Mn2O3 nanoparticles

Homogeneous mixed iron-manganese oxide nanoparticles prepared from bimetallic MOFs were examined for their catalytic performance to examine toluene degradation. Introducing Fe into Mn2O3 to obtain Mn2-xFexO showed significantly improved catalytic combustion of toluene compared to single manganese or iron oxide. Among these catalysts, Mn1.82Fe0.18O3 exhibited optimal catalytic performance showing the lowest T10, T50 and T90 in weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 60000 mL·(g·h)-1. In high-water content atmosphere, catalytic activity was excellent even after four cycles and such a good catalytic performance of Mn1.82Fe0.18O3 might be due to the high surface area (103 m2·g−1) and uniform doping of Fe caused by MOFs roasting. Fe doping enhanced the weak acid sites onto Mn2O3 surface, thus promoting the activation of toluene. The doped Fe elongated M = O bond to enhance the nucleophilicity of the active sites, which increased the intrinsic activity of Mn2O3 catalyst. This study could serve as a reference for active sites modification of metal oxide catalysts.