Accelerating the Co3+/Co2+ redox cycle of Co3O4 by solvent manipulation in solvothermal synthesis to drive propane oxidation at low temperature
摘要
Here, a solvothermal method was utilized to prepare Co3O4 with diverse values of adsorbed oxygen/lattice oxygen (Oads/Olatt) and low-temperature reducibility by modulating H2O/CH3CH2OH solvent ratio. As the ethanol content increases, both Oads/Olatt ratio and redox ability exhibit a marked progressive promotion owing to the rapid formation of Co(OH)2 precipitation inhibited by ethanol. Compared to Oads/Olatt ratio, low-temperature redox ability exhibits a stronger correlation with propane reaction rate at 210 °C (R2 = 0.97 vs 0.69), establishing it as the primary factor governing the reaction kinetics of low-temperature propane oxidation. Additionally, in-situ DRIFTS demonstrates that accelerated redox cycle of Co3+/Co2+ drives the reaction pathway for propane oxidation: CH3CH2CH3 → CH2CHCH3 → CH2CHCOOH → CO32− → CO2. As a result, Co3O4-40 (H2O/CH3CH2OH solvent ratio = 0/40) displays a prominent excellent and competitive propane oxidation activity (R210°C = 3.42 μmol gcat−1 s−1).