Regulating electronic metal-support interaction (EMSI) via pore-confinement to enhance non-thermal plasma catalytic oxidation of toluene.

[Display omitted] • Catalyst with strong EMSI effect was developed exploiting the confinement effect. • Mn@M2 demonstrates optimal redox performance and the most pronounced EMSI effect. • The electron-rich/poor centers on the Si-O-Mn-O bond facilitate oxygen cycling. • The mechanism of toluene degradation with EMSI effect has been investigated. The non-thermal plasma catalysis holds great promise for VOCs removal, and the development of catalysts with electronic metal-support interaction (EMSI) effect is beneficial for VOCs removal. In this study, we prepared three Mn@M catalysts with EMSI coordination structures by encapsulating MnO x particles within the mesoporous molecular sieve (MCM-41) with different pore size (2.9 nm, 4.4 nm, and 7.9 nm), and investigated the effect of pore size on EMSI and non-thermal plasma catalytic performance of Mn@M for toluene. Among three catalysts, Mn@M2 with an average pore size of 4.38 nm exhibited the strongest EMSI and superior redox capabilities, thus demonstrating the highest mineralization rate, carbon balance, and CO 2 selectivity for plasma catalytic oxidation of toluene. The EMSI effect leads to the formation of electron-rich and electron-poor centers on the Si-O-Mn-O bond, facilitating the generation of reactive oxygen species and enhancing the oxygen cycle. In addition, the reaction degradation pathway was investigated using in situ DRIFTS and GC–MS. This study provides valuable insights for designing highly effective supported catalysts by pore confinement to degrade VOCs in adsorption-plasma catalysis system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]