High performance of PrMnO3 perovskite catalysts for low-temperature soot oxidation

In the field of heterogeneous catalysis for diesel vehicle exhaust, designing low-cost catalysts with high efficiency and low-temperature catalytic oxidation to reduce the ignition temperature of soot remains a significant challenge. In this study, a series of praseodymium manganese perovskites (PrMnO3) were synthesized using a solution combustion method that regulated the molar ratio of glycine to nitrate (phi). Notably, when phi = 1, the prepared catalyst (PMO-1) exhibited a multistage pore structure and large specific surface area, demonstrating excellent catalytic oxidation performance for soot (T-10 = 280 degrees C, T-50 = 377 degrees C, TOF=16.2 x 10(-4) s(-1), S-CO2 > 99 %) and NO (maximum NO conversion rate of 80 %). During soot combustion in a NO+O-2 reaction atmosphere, the strong NO oxidation capacity of the catalyst provides sufficient NO2 as an oxidant for soot combustion, thereby further enhancing its oxidation performance (T-50 = 360 degrees C). This study concludes that the excellent low-temperature catalytic oxidation performance of the PrMnO3 catalyst is attributed to the large specific surface area provided by its multistage pore structure and the extensive dispersion of active sites, which enhance the contact efficiency between soot particles and active sites. Additionally, based on multiple characterization results such as XPS, TOF calculations, and Soot-TPR, the PMO-1 catalyst exhibits a high content of lattice oxygen and efficient lattice oxygen migration. These properties further supply active oxygen for the NOx-assisted soot oxidation mechanism. This study offers a valuable, simple, and cost-effective strategy for designing perovskite catalysts and efficiently removing PM particles.