Effect of MnO2 morphology on the catalytic oxidation of toluene over Ag/MnO2 catalysts

The Ag/MnO2 catalysts with different morphologies (wire-like, rod-like and tube-like) are used as toluene oxidation catalysts in an attempt to investigate how the structures of support affect the interaction of Ag and MnO2, and thus the toluene catalytic activity. Analysis by TEM, H2-TPR and XPS measurements reveals that the structures of MnO2 influence the particle size and dispersion of silver particles and the combination of silver particles with MnO2. Meanwhile, the addition of Ag regulates the performance of MnO2. The small particle size and hemispherically shaped Ag particles are easily to form and homogeneously dispersed on the surface of wire-like MnO2. And this specific form of Ag shows the strongest interaction with MnO2, which promotes the low-temperature reducibility of support and generated more lattice oxygen in metal oxides. The Ag/MnO2 nanowires sample exhibits the highest reactivity for toluene oxidation with a complete conversion at 220 °C. Therefore, the excellent catalytic performance of Ag/MnO2 nanowires catalyst for toluene oxidation is clearly connected with the interaction between the Ag and MnO2, which is determined by the morphology of MnO2 support.