CeO2 nanoislands on LaMnO3 perovskite accelerate lattice oxygen activation for efficient toluene removal

The development of highly stable noble metal-free catalysts is essential for the practical implementation of VOCs catalytic techniques, with recent trends focusing on perovskite materials despite concerns about their low reactivity of surface oxygen species and challenges in regenerating active oxygen sites. In this work, CeO 2 nano-islands were in-situ grown on LaMnO 3 (LMO) to prepare the CeO 2 -LaMnO 3 catalyst (such as LCMO-5). This catalyst exhibits excellent performance in toluene oxidation, with a T 90 of 247°C. The superior performance stems from unique Ce-O-Mn bridging structures between CeO 2 nanoislands and the LMO matrix. This structure can activate lattice oxygen and promote the activation of gaseous oxygen, achieving a dynamic cycle. DFT calculations reveal the electronic-level mechanism involves accelerated electron transfer at the Ce-O-Mn interface, optimized interfacial electronic structure through upshifted Mn 3d and O 2p band centers approaching the Fermi level, and substantially reduced oxygen vacancy formation energy at interfacial sites from 4.31 eV to 2.34 eV. This work provides fundamental insights into lattice oxygen activation mechanisms in perovskite catalysts and establishes a theoretical framework for designing highly efficient and stable environmental catalytic materials. Interfacial lattice oxygen promotes VOC catalytic removal on ultra-stable CeO 2 nanoisland-LaMnO 3 flake hybrids • CeO 2 nanoislands greatly enhance toluene oxidation on LaMnO 3 perovskite • LCMO-5 shows exceptional stability over 32 hours in continuous operation • The coupling of surface lattice and gaseous oxygen in VOC reactions is illustrated • Theoretical calculations reveal optimized electronic structures of Ce-O-Mn bonds • In-situ spectra confirm lattice oxygen dynamics in perovskites for enhanced catalysis