Cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanostructures
with
different morphologies (nanocubes, nanoplates, and nanoflowers) were
synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method and used for catalytic
oxidation of soot particles. Through the study of the physicochemical
properties of the catalysts, the key factors affecting the performance
of soot oxidation were investigated. The results showed that all three
kinds of Co3O4 nanocrystals exhibited excellent
low-temperature activity in catalytic oxidation of soot, and the Co3O4 nanoflowers showed higher oxidation activity
of soot compared with Co3O4 nanocubes and Co3O4 nanoplates, whose T
m was only 370 °C. The excellent activity of Co3O4 nanoflowers was due to the large amount of Co3+ and lattice oxygen on their surface and highly defective structure,
which promoted the adsorption and activation of oxygen species. The
large crystallite size and few surface defects were the main reasons
for the poor catalytic performance of Co3O4 nanocubes.
During soot oxidation, the crystallite size of the catalysts and the
contact between the catalysts and soot played a significant role in
the catalytic performance.