Facile synthesis of Mn-Fe/CeO2 nanotubes by gradient electrospinning and their excellent catalytic performance for propane and methane oxidation

Dalton Trans. 2017 Dec 12;46(48):16967-16972. doi: 10.1039/c7dt03484a.

Abstract

Nanotubes have been the focus of vital efforts in the catalysis community because of their unique properties. However, owing to the limitations of synthetic methods, most multi-element oxides have rarely been fabricated. In this study, we design a gradient electrospinning method for the controllable synthesis of Mn-Fe/CeO2 nanocatalysts and their application in the combustion of propane and methane. The strategy is rational, and the nanostructure of Mn-Fe/CeO2 can be tuned by simply adjusting the weight ratio of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP)/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) during the electrospinning process. Benefitting from its unique structural feature, propane and methane conversions in hollow tubular Mn-Fe/CeO2-P1 (mPVP : mPAN = 1 : 1) are more than 90% at 382 and 411 °C, respectively. The superior propane oxidation performance in Mn-Fe/CeO2-P1 is associated with its hollow tubular structure, high surface oxygen vacancies and excellent low-temperature reducibility.