Bimetallic synergy-enhanced photoexcitation rapid reconstruction of asymmetric oxygen vacancies for long-term photothermal catalytic degradation of ethyl acetate

Although MnOx catalysts show promise for low-temperature photothermal catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), their practical application is limited by structural instability and the accumulation of reaction intermediates during prolonged operation. The Cu5Ce5-MnOx catalyst, which possesses exceptional oxygen vacancy regeneration capability, has been successfully developed using a bimetallic synergy-enhanced photoexcitation strategy that facilitates the rapid reconstruction of asymmetric oxygen vacancies. The equimolar bimetallic synergy promotes the rapid reconstruction of asymmetric oxygen vacancies mediated by Cu-Ov-Mn and Ce-Ov-Mn structures. This mechanism simultaneously optimizes the surface electron transfer pathway (Mn4 +?Mn3+), thereby enhancing catalytic performance. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (in situ DRIFTs) analyses indicate that the constructed Cu-Ov-Mn and Ce-Ov-Mn structures significantly promote the formation of oxygen vacancies (Ov). These structures accelerate the activation and migration of efficient oxygen species, thereby enhancing the photothermal oxidative degradation process of ethyl acetate (EA). Experimental results demonstrate that Cu5Ce5-MnOx achieves 99.2 % EA conversion and 97.5 % mineralization efficiency (CO2 yield) under UV–vis irradiation. The catalyst maintains 99 % conversion efficiency over 300 h of continuous operation, outperforming all current state-of-the-art photothermal catalysts. This work provides a viable approach for designing durable and highly active photothermal catalysts for the removal of low-temperature VOCs. © 2025