In Situ Construction of Manganese Oxide Photothermocatalysts for the Deep Removal of Toluene by Highly Utilizing Sunlight Energy

The alternative use of electric energy by renewable energy to supply power for catalytic oxidation of pollutants is a sustainable technology, requiring a competent catalyst to realize efficient utilization of light and drive the catalytic reaction. Herein, in situ-synthesized manganese oxide heterostructure composites are developed through solvothermal reduction and subsequent calcination of amorphous manganese oxide (AMO). 95% of toluene conversion and 80% of CO₂ mineralization were achieved over amorphous manganese oxide calcined at 250 °C (AMO-250) under light irradiation, and catalyst stability was maintained for at least 40 h. Highly utilization of light energy, uniformly dispersed nanoparticles, large specific surface area, improved metal reducibility, and oxygen desorption and migration ability at low temperature contribute to the good catalytic oxidation activity of AMO-250. Light activated more lattice oxygen to participate in the reaction via the Mars-van Krevelen (MvK) mechanism, and traditional e^--h⁺ photocatalytic behavior exists over the AMO-250 heterostructure composite as an auxiliary degradation path. The reaction pathways of photothermocatalysis and thermocatalysis are close, except for the emergence of different copolymers, where light enhances the deep conversion of intermediates. A proof-of-concept study under natural sunlight has confirmed the feasibility of practical application in the photothermocatalytic degradation of pollutants.