Cu-doped OMS-2 catalysts for photothermal synergistic VOCs segradation: Efficiency enhancement under UV-Vis irradiation in flow conditions.

Photothermal synergistic catalytic systems for treating volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have attracted significant attention due to their energy efficiency and potential to reduce carbon emissions. However, the mechanism underlying the synergistic reaction remains a critical issue. This study introduces a photothermal synergistic system for the removal of ethyl acetate (EA) by synthesizing Cu-doped OMS-2 (denoted as Cu-OMS-2). Under ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) irradiation in a flow system, the Cu-OMS-2 catalyst exhibited significantly enhanced performance in the EA degradation process, nearly doubling the effectiveness of pure OMS-2, and increasing carbon dioxide yield by 20 %. This exceptional performance is attributed to the synergistic effect of increased oxygen vacancies (OV) at OMS-2 active sites and Cu doping, as confirmed by H2-TPR, O2-TPD, and CO consumption measurements. This study clarifies the catalytic mechanism of light-assisted thermocatalysis and offers a novel strategy for designing photothermal catalysts with homogeneous Cu-doped nanorods for VOC removal.