Exceptional Ozone Decomposition over δ-MnO/AC under an Entire Humidity Environment.

Ozone (O) pollution is highly detrimental to human health and the ecosystem due to it being ubiquitous in ambient air and industrial processes. Catalytic decomposition is the most efficient technology for O elimination, while the moisture-induced low stability represents the major challenge for its practical applications. Here, activated carbon (AC) supported δ-MnO (Mn/AC-A) was facilely synthesized via mild redox in an oxidizing atmosphere to obtain exceptional O decomposition capacity. The optimal 5Mn/AC-A achieved nearly 100% of O decomposition at a high space velocity (1200 L g h) and remained extremely stable under entire humidity conditions. The functionalized AC provided well-designed protection sites to inhibit the accumulation of water on δ-MnO. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirmed that the abundant oxygen vacancies and a low desorption energy of intermediate peroxide (O) can significantly boost O decomposition activity. Moreover, a kilo-scale 5Mn/AC-A with low cost (∼1.5 $/kg) was used for the O decomposition in practical applications, which could quickly decompose O pollution to a safety level below 100 μg m. This work offers a simple strategy for the development of moisture-resistant and inexpensive catalysts and greatly promotes the practical application of ambient O elimination.