Engineering CoCe_xZr_1−x/Ni foam monolithic catalysts for ethyl acetate efficient destruction

The development of novel and efficient monolithic catalysts is of great significance to fulfill the catalytic destruction of industrial volatile organic compounds. Here, a series of CoCe_xZr_1−x/Ni foam (NF) monolithic catalysts were successfully prepared and applied for ethyl acetate (EA) combustion. Among them, CoCe_0.75Zr_0.25-NF possesses the highest activity with 90% of EA destructed at 227 °C due to its superior reducibility, abundant surface adsorbed oxygen species (O_ads) and high oxygen mobility. The samples with different Ce/Zr ratios are observed to possess various concentrations of oxygen vacancies and CoCe_0.75Zr_0.25-NF has the lowest oxygen vacancy formation energy of −1.41 eV. In situ DRIFTS results reveal that the O_ads species absorbed on the oxygen vacancies play a decisive role in catalytic activation and mineralization of EA. Moreover, CoCe_0.75Zr_0.25-NF demonstrates excellent stability and water resistance. The findings reported in this study provide important reference and foundation for designing of potential and promising monolithic catalysts for practical VOCs destruction applications.