Synthesis of CeaMnOx hollow microsphere with hierarchical structure and its excellent catalytic performance for toluene combustion

[Display omitted] •Synthesis of CeaMnOx hollow microsphere like arbutus with hierarchical structure.•Much better catalytic toluene combustion property over CeaMnOx than MnOx.•Formation of more surface Oα and Mn4+ content on CeaMnOx.•Much higher activity and water resistance for toluene combustion over Ce0.03MnOx.•stronger ability to adsorb and activate toluene on Ce0.03MnOx. A series of CeaMnOx hollow microsphere like arbutus with hierarchical structure are prepared by redox co-precipitation method and applied for catalytic toluene combustion. The Ce0.03MnOx shows a better catalytic performance for toluene combustion with high stability, water resistance, even under the condition of 5vol.% H2O. The results of XRF, XRD, Raman, N2 adsorption-desorption, SEM, TEM prove that the doping of Ce can affect the structure of CeaMnOx such as much smaller particle size and higher specific surface area. The characterizations of H2-TPR, O2-TPD, XPS certify the strong interaction between Ce and Mn oxides that leads to more surface adsorbed oxygen and Mn4+ species due to oxidation reduction cycle of Mn3+ + Ce4+ ↔ Mn4+ + Ce3+ after Ce addition. Meanwhile, the Toluene-TPD in different conditions confirms the introduction of water promoted the catalytic oxidation of toluene. In situ DRIFTS is used to investigate the reaction process of toluene oxidation. And the results reveal that the Ce0.03MnOx catalyst has much stronger ability to adsorb and activate toluene compared with MnOx catalyst, especially under with H2O. That may be the main reason that the Ce0.03MnOx catalyst exhibits the special catalytic activity for toluene combustion.