Co-O activation of Co3O4 via both Mn doping and acid etching for efficient propane oxidation

Crystal structure and surface modulation of Co 3 O 4 catalyst holds great promise for the improvement of catalytic performance for propane oxidation. In this study, Mn doping in Co 3 O 4 was first adapted to introduce crystal defects. And acid etching was then used to orchestrate the surface properties of Mn doped Co 3 O 4 . The combination of both Mn doping and acid etching resulted in a distorted crystal structure, which significantly activates the Co-O bonds, obviously increasing the exposed active oxygen and enhancing the intrinsic oxidation ability. Consequently, as a catalyst for propane oxidation, Mn-Co 3 O 4 -H facilitates the acetate intermediate generation and its decomposition, resulting in an excellent oxidation activity with propane conversion rate 3.8 times higher than that of the pristine Co 3 O 4 catalyst at reaction temperature of 195 °C. Meanwhile, the catalyst demonstrates a stable hydrothermal performance with negligible deactivation during 30 h on-stream test. This study set an important paradigm for the structure and surface manipulation of Co 3 O 4 catalyst for efficient propane oxidation.