Pd-enhanced carbon catalyst for efficient ozone removal via tuning carbon electronic properties

Abstract

Efficient ozone removal under humid conditions remains a significant challenge due to the strong adsorption of water molecules on active sites, which hinders catalytic activity. Herein, we developed a Pd-enhanced carbon catalyst (N900PdSC) through a adsorption self-reduction and heating induced relocation method to tune the active carbon property and facilitate the electron transfer between carbon and Pd. The catalyst demonstrated remarkable ozone decomposition efficiency, on which 99.5 % of ozone removal efficiency was initially achieved, and 97.3 % of removal efficiency was still retained after 6 h at 55 % RH at bench experiments. Characterization and theoretical analyses revealed electron transfer from palladium to carbon, which enhanced carbon materials catalytic ozone removal performance. Water contact angle and sliding angle tests confirmed N900PdSC superior water resistance, reducing the competitive adsorption of water molecules. Additionally, scale-up tests demonstrated a 99.8 % ozone removal efficiency at 55 % RH with no significant deactivation observed over 100 h. The study highlights the potential of Pd-enhanced carbon materials for high-performance ozone removal, emphasizing the importance of tuning the electronic property of carbon through metal modification to overcome water resistance and enhance catalytic activity. This work gives a new pathway for the design of stable and efficient ozone-removal catalysts for practical applications in high-humidity environments.