Nanoscale heterostructure engineering in non-noble metal oxide catalysts for removal of volatile organic compounds: Advances and strategies

Catalytic combustion of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) pollutants is an effective and widely used environmental pollution control technology thanks to its low energy consumption, easy operation, and non-secondary pollution. Recently, it is found that construction of microscopic heterostructure in the non-noble metal oxide can induce the unbalanced electronic structure, electron transport enhancing and physicochemical properties regulating, which has been considered as an effective strategy to improve the catalytic performance in the VOCs combustion. However, a systematic understanding of the effect of heterostructure on the VOCs catalytic combustion is necessary. In this review, the interaction modes of reactant molecules and catalysts relating to various reaction mechanisms are first elucidated. Afterwards, the types of heterogeneous catalysts and their heterostructure construction strategies for the catalytic combustion of VOCs are summarized in detail. Then, the roles and advantages of heterogeneous structure are analyzed in detail. Finally, the prospects and challenges in the VOCs combustion over the heterostructured catalysts are anticipated. It is expected to provide instructive guide for in-depth and systematic understanding of the effect of heterostructured catalysts on the VOCs combustion in order to obtain more efficient catalysts.