Chemical incorporation of Mn3O4 into TiO2 coating by benzotriazole working as electron donor: Electrochemical and catalytic performance
By Putri, Rosy Amalia Kurnia; Nashrah, Nisa; Han, Da In; Zoubi, Wail Al; Ko, Young Gun
Published in Composites Part B: Engineering
2022
Abstract
Metal oxide-based catalysts are of great interest for highly efficient catalytic reactions during the degradation of organic compounds. However, most metal oxide-based catalysts are in the form of particles that suffer from aggregation and sintering on the support surface, resulting in a drastic loss of catalytic activity with increasing catalytic cycles. In this work, the fabrication of a highly efficient catalyst comprising Mn3O4 and TiO2 via electron enhanced plasma electrolysis in the presence of 1H-Benzotriazole (BTA) as an electron donor was reported. BTA promoted the chemical incorporation of Mn3O4 into TiO2 coating by donating electrons to oxygen as electron acceptors in the electrolyte. This composite exhibits superior catalytic performance and durability without a decline in activity after five cycles, far exceeding the most common catalyst observed to date. The high catalytic performance was attributed to the reduction-oxidation capability of Mn2+ and Mn3+, which acted as active sites during the catalytic reaction supported by TiO2, which promoted electron transfer between the catalyst surface and free radical molecules. This promoted efficiency and stability during the degradation of organic compounds applicable as catalyst materials.