Oxygen vacancy and metal-support interaction engineering in low-loading Ru/TiO₂ catalyst for efficacious acetone oxidation

Oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) pose significant threats to both atmospheric environments and human health. Supported noble metal catalysts have been effectively applied for OVOC purification, however, their high cost remains a critical limitation. Herein, a highly active and cost-effective Ru-based supported catalyst was developed by loading a low content of Ru onto oxygen-vacancy-rich TiO₂ nanosheets. The catalytic performance of catalyst was evaluated for the removal of acetone, a representative OVOC. The catalyst attained 500 ppm acetone completely being oxidized at 240 °C with a Ru loading as low as 0.2 wt%. Furthermore, the Ru/TiO₂ demonstrated remarkable stability and water resistance throughout prolonged operation. Comprehensive characterizations and DFT calculations, it can be determined that electronic metal–support interactions (EMSIs) between Ru and TiO₂ promoted the formation of sufficient oxygen vacancies and improved the redox properties of the catalyst. In situ DRIFTS and PTR-MS analyses further confirming the beneficial role of Ru loading in acetone activation. This study provides new insights into the rational design of low-cost and high-performance catalysts for OVOC purification and deepens the understanding of reaction pathways in acetone catalytic oxidation.