Efficient photothermal catalytic oxidation of toluene by La1-Fe MnO3 with full spectrum response: The effects of Fe doping and photoactivation

Developing efficient photothermal catalysts with full spectrum response is one of the frontier topics in photothermal catalytic of VOCs. In this work, La1-xFexMnO3 (0≤x≤0.2) was synthesized via citrate sol-gel method. Under full spectrum illumination of 1.3×104 W/m2, La0.9Fe0.1MnO3 exhibited a more superior activity (86.7% toluene conversion and 84.6% CO2 yield). Through controlled experiments, not only the origin of photothermal activity, but the possible intrinsic drivers (Fe doping and photoactivation) of the enhanced activity were also revealed. Particularly, the mechanistic details of their facilitating reactions were thoroughly studied, where the improved mobility and activation of lattice oxygen played the primary role. Moreover, the co-effect of Fe doping and photoactivation on the resistance to complex gas components (SO2, H2O) and durability was systematically investigated. Eventually, the plausible pathways and mechanisms of toluene oxidation were proposed. This study provides a new insight into photothermal catalysts with full spectrum response for environmental remediation.