Suspension Solution Electrospinning for Constructing Co3O4/CeO2 Interfaces to Boost Styrene Oxidation

Abstract

Styrene, as a typical volatile organic compound (VOC), is widely present in the production of thermoplastic plastics. Constructing synergistic active sites that promote the cleavage of the benzene ring and C═C double bond is an effective approach for the catalytic combustion of styrene. However, the challenge remains how to construct efficient interfaces while preventing the phase separation of different components. Here, we employed a suspension solution electrospinning strategy to prepare catalysts with varying CeO₂/Co₃O₄ interface content. The 1Co@Si-9Ce catalyst achieved 50% and 90% styrene conversion at 272 and 318 °C, respectively, along with excellent hydrothermal stability. X-ray absorption fine structure spectra and cyclic voltammetry curves revealed that the CeO₂/Co₃O₄ interface altered the local electronic environment. Density functional theory calculations further confirmed that the CeO₂/Co₃O₄ interface facilitates lattice oxygen activation, thereby accelerating the oxidation of the intermediate species benzaldehyde to maleic. This study provides an alternative strategy for preparing interface-enhanced transition-metal oxide catalysts for oxygen species activation and VOC abatement.