In situ self-assembly encapsulation of CoFeOx nanoparticles in ordered mesoporous TiZrOx channels for enhanced catalytic combustion of o-dichlorobenzene

Abstract Anchoring MOFs in ordered mesoporous channels is a novel scheme to improve the stability and dispersion of metal oxide nanoparticles. In this paper, highly dispersed CoFeOx nanoparticles in ordered mesoporous TiZrOx channels were prepared by in situ self-assembly confinement method and applied to the catalytic combustion of o-dichlorobenzene (o-DCB). By analyzing the BET, SEM, TEM, XRD, and FTIR results, we found that the CoFeOx nanoparticles of CoFeOx@TiZrOx catalyst prepared by vacuum in situ self-assembly method were smaller and distributed in ordered mesoporous channels due to the confinement effect of TiZrOx compared with CoFeOx@TiZrOx-c catalyst. In addition, doping Fe in Co3O4 could improve the redox property, O mobility and acid site of the CoFeOx@TiZrOx catalyst, to improve the activity and stability of the catalyst. In short, the CoFeOx@TiZrOx catalyst not only had excellent catalytic performance for o-DCB destruction (T90 = 381 °C), but also had outstanding stability to resistant Cl poisoning deactivation, which mainly attributed to abundant Co3+, Fe2+, lattice oxygen species, and strong acid sites. The MvK reaction mechanism of the CoFeOx@TiZrOx catalyst based on surface lattice oxygen was proposed by characterization analysis.