Promoted perfluoropolyether catalytic degradation performance of MnOx nanoflower catalysts modified by transition metals

Abstract

Fluorinated polymer waste, notably perfluoropolyethers (PFPEs), poses significant environmental challenges due to its persistence and potential toxicity, thereby necessitating the development of effective catalytic degradation methods. This study systematically explores the catalytic cracking of a PFPE using manganese oxide (MnO_x) catalysts with controlled morphologies and transition metal dopants. A comparative analysis between MnO_x nanoparticles and nanoflowers demonstrates that the three-dimensional nanoflower architecture markedly enhances catalytic cracking efficiency. Additional performance improvements are achieved through transition metal doping, with Fe-modified MnO_x nanoflowers exhibiting the highest PFPE decomposition rate of 82.10%. The superior catalytic performance is attributed to the synergistic effects of increased active oxygen species and surface acid sites induced by the introduction of Fe. These findings underscore the critical role of morphology engineering and elemental doping in the design of high-performance MnO_x-based catalysts for the oxidation degradation of harmful polymeric substances.