Fabrication and Characteristics of Mn@ Cu3(BTC)2 for Low-Temperature Catalytic Reduction of NOx with NH3

Novel catalysts with high activity for the selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3 (NH3-SCR) at low temperatures are highly demanded. In this study, mixed-node metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), e.g. Mn@CuBTC with controlled Mn composition in Cu3(BTC)2, were fabricated using postsynthetic exchange method and their structural characteristics and catalytic performances for NH3-SCR reaction were assessed. A series of analyses in terms of structure, surface morphology, texture, and chemical state determined that Mn ions were successfully incorporated into the Cu3(BTC)2 crystal lattice as well as adsorbed on the walls of nanopores in the framework. The pore sizes can be finely tuned in the presence of Mn ions in the cages, which significantly suppressed water adsorption. The NH3-SCR activity of Mn@CuBTC exhibited nearly 100% NOx conversion rate in the temperature range (230–260°C). The superior NH3-SCR performance is attributed to the proper pore sizes, reduced water content, and the synergistic effect between manganese and copper ions in the MOF structure, which enhanced NH3 bound to the active Lewis sites.