Catalytic materials play an important role in environmental governance, energy conversion and industrial chemistry. Magnesium ferrite is an important ferrite material with good catalytic activity, and the introduction of magnesium oxide can further optimize its performance, making it more applicable in the fields of catalytic decomposition, gas sensing and photocatalysis. The following are the main roles of magnesium oxide in catalytic applications of magnesium ferrate:
1. Enhance the catalytic decomposition capability
Magnesium ferrate is often used to catalyze the degradation of organic pollutants, such as decomposition of organic dyes, volatile organic compounds, etc. However, under certain conditions, its catalytic activity may be limited, and the introduction of magnesium oxide can improve its surface alkalinity, thereby enhancing the adsorption capacity of pollutants and making the catalytic reaction more efficient. For example, during advanced oxidation processes such as Fenton reaction and persulfate activation, magnesium oxide modified magnesium ferrite can accelerate the generation of free radicals and improve the degradation efficiency of pollutants.
2. Improve gas sensing performance
Magnesium ferrate can act as a gas sensing material to detect the presence of specific gases, such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide or ammonia. However, magnesium ferrite alone has less sensitivity at low temperatures, and the addition of magnesium oxide can increase its surfactant site, making gas adsorption and oxidation reactions more likely to occur, thereby improving the sensor’s response speed and sensitivity. In addition, magnesium oxide can adjust the energy band structure of magnesium ferrite so that it still has good detection capabilities at lower temperatures, which helps to develop low-energy gas sensors.
3. Improve photocatalytic activity
Photocatalytic technology uses sunlight or artificial light sources to drive catalytic reactions, such as degrading pollutants in water or decomposing water to produce hydrogen. Magnesium ferrate itself has a certain photocatalytic ability, but its light absorption range is narrow and it is prone to electron-hole recombination, reducing catalytic efficiency. The addition of magnesium oxide can improve its photocatalytic properties by:
Improve electron mobility: Magnesium oxide can reduce the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes and increase the duration of the catalytic reaction.
Optimize the energy band structure: Magnesium oxide can adjust the band gap width of magnesium ferrite, so that it absorbs light energy within a wider spectral range and improves catalytic activity.
Enhanced stability: Magnesium oxide helps reduce catalyst inactivation during long-term use and improves its durability in harsh environments.
4. Promote oxygen reduction and oxidation reaction
In the fields of fuel cells, electrocatalysis, etc., magnesium oxide modified magnesium ferrite can promote the reduction and oxidation reaction of oxygen and improve energy conversion efficiency. For example, in metal-air batteries or supercapacitors, magnesium oxide can act as a cocatalyst to enhance the electrochemical activity of magnesium ferrate, reduce the cost of using precious metal catalysts, and improve the cycle stability of the battery.
5. Application in industrial catalysis
Magnesium oxide modified magnesium ferrate can be used to catalyze common chemical reactions in the synthesis industry, such as partial oxidation of methane, alcohol dehydrogenation, desulfurization, etc. The addition of magnesium oxide can not only improve the activity of the catalyst, but also enhance its anti-toxicity ability, so that it can still maintain high catalytic performance in sulfur or chlorine-containing environments. In addition, since magnesium ferrate and magnesium oxide both have good thermal stability, this composite catalyst can work for a long time in high temperature environments, reducing the problem of catalyst deactivation.