The practical utility of ternary nickel-cobalt-manganese oxide-supported platinum catalysts for room-temperature oxidative removal of formaldehyde from the air.

[Display omitted] • Pt-NiCoMnO 4 catalysts are firstly prepared for FA oxidation in air. • 1 %Pt-NiCoMnO 4 achieves 100 % FA conversion at RT (GHSV: 5,964 h−1). • FA is converted into CO 2 with diverse forms of intermediates, e.g., DOM and HCOO–. • FA and O 2 are adsorbed preferably on the Pt and nearby Ni sites, respectively. • Platinum-nickel sites offer favorable electronic structures for FA oxidation. Formaldehyde (FA), a carcinogenic oxygenated volatile organic compound, is present ubiquitously in indoor air. As such, it is generally regarded as a critical target for air quality management. The oxidative removal of FA under dark and room-temperature (RT) conditions is of practical significance. A series of ternary nickel–cobalt-manganese oxide–supported platinum catalysts (Pt/NiCoMnO 4) have been synthesized for FA oxidative removal at RT in the dark. Their RT conversion values for 50 ppm FA (X FA) at 5,964 h−1 gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) decrease in the following order: 1 wt% Pt/NiCoMnO 4 (100 %) > 0.5 wt% Pt/NiCoMnO 4 (25 %) > 0.05 wt% Pt/NiCoMnO 4 (14 %) > NiCoMnO 4 (6 %). The catalytic performance of 1 wt% Pt/NiCoMnO 4 has been examined further under the control of various process variables (e.g., catalyst mass, flow rate, relative humidity, FA concentration, time on stream, and molecular oxygen content). The catalytic oxidation of FA at low temperatures (e.g., RT and 60 °C) is accounted for by Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism (single-site competitive-adsorption), while Mars van Krevelen kinetics is prevalent at higher temperatures. In situ diffuse-reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy reveals that FA oxidation proceeds through a series of reaction intermediates such as DOM, HCOO–, and CO 3 2–. Based on the density functional theory simulations, the unique electronic structures of the nearest surface atoms (platinum and nickel) are suggested to be responsible for the superior catalytic activity of Pt/NiCoMnO 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]