Non-Noble Metal Catalyst Design with Dual Oxygen–Chlorine Channels: Synergistic Cr–Zr Doping in Ceria for Complete Chlorobenzene Oxidation and Polychlorinated Byproduct Inhibition

catalyst demonstrates exceptional performance, maintaining >90% CB conversion over 24 h at 240 °C with minimal polychlorinated byproducts. Structure-performance mechanistic investigations reveal that Cr-Zr doping modulates Ce-O bond strength and generates high-density oxygen vacancies, enhancing lattice oxygen mobility and reactive oxygen species generation for deep oxidation. Concurrent Zr incorporation introduces Brønsted acid sites that promote HCl formation via proton-assisted Cl removal, effectively suppressing electrophilic chlorination of aromatic intermediates. These improvements of dual oxygen-chlorine channels reduce the occurrence of electrophilic chlorination reactions in intermediate products, thereby inhibiting the formation of polychlorinated byproducts, making it more promising for industrial applications.