Simultaneous removal of NOx and toluene over 3V2O5/CeO2@TiO2: Reaction site isolation for bifunctional catalysis

Simultaneous removal of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has garnered increasing attention for its efficiency and cost-effectiveness. This study developed a bifunctional core–shell catalyst, utilizing CeO₂ as the core, TiO₂ as the shell and impregnated V₂O₅ on the outer layer of the shell. The catalytic efficiencies of NO and toluene removal exceeded 90% with high CO₂ and N₂ selectivity at 275 °C. The interaction between CeO₂ and TiO₂ significantly increased surface oxygen vacancies on catalysts, thereby improving the redox properties and catalytic efficiencies. This study introduced a novel design for NO_x and VOCs abatement research. Combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculation and activation energy results, toluene was more likely to enter the core of the catalyst (CeO₂), while SCR reaction was prone to occur on the outer layer (V₂O₅/TiO₂), which indicated the successful separation of active sites.