Highly efficient NO direct decomposition over BaMnO₃-CeO₂ composite catalysts

Developing high-performance catalyst is of paramount importance for NO direct decomposition. Here, composite catalysts BaMnO₃-CeO₂ were designed and prepared by the one-pot method, which show high catalytic activity, oxygen resistance and durability. The NO conversion to N₂ of 85.9% at 800 °C is achieved over 5%BaMnO₃-CeO₂. It exhibits 66.5% activity in the presence of 10 vol% O₂ and runs stable for more than 200 h in 5 vol% O₂ at 800 °C. The high performance is originated from the strong interaction between BaMnO₃ and CeO₂ components, where CeO₂ can effectively inhibit the sintering of BaMnO₃ particles, enhance the redox activity, mobility of lattice oxygen and NO sorption. The proposed catalytic mechanism based on diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy and kinetic study reveals that the formation of N₂O* intermediate species is the rate determining step. BaMnO₃-CeO₂ composite can be a promising catalyst candidate for NO direct decomposition.