Triboelectric Plasma-Catalytic CO Oxidation of MnO2 Nanostructures Driven by Mechanical Energy at Room Temperature

The simultaneous activation of surface lattice oxygen and dioxygen is key to transition metal oxide-based catalytic CO oxidation systems. However, the reaction is difficult at room temperature owing to the high metal–oxygen bond energy. This study presents a triboelectric plasma–transition metal oxide catalytic system driven by a triboelectric nanogenerator, which realizes CO oxidation reaction at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Among the transition metal oxides evaluated, MnO2 nanostructures exhibited an optimal CO oxidation activity of 0.24 mmol·g–1·h–1 and a low energy consumption converted per mole CO of 6.0 × 103 kJ. For the activation of both surface lattice oxygen and dioxygen, multiple reaction pathways with barriers ranging from 0.37 to 2.43 eV have been revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance, and density functional theory simulation. These catalytic reaction phenomena have been explained by an extended Mars–van Krevelen mechanism, in which multiple pathways with various barriers were overcome by the electrons in the plasma with a uniform and broad distribution probability. This work provides an efficient strategy for the conversion and utilization of mechanical energy for chemical synthesis.