Partial substitution of manganese with cerium in SrMnO3 nano-perovskite catalyst. Effect of the modification on the catalytic combustion of dilute acetone

•A non-conventional method was used to make nanostructured perovskite samples.•XRD study confirms perovskite structure and nanosize of crystallites.•EDX analyses confirm homogeneity and purity of the samples.•The catalytic testing was carried out in the flameless combustion of dilute acetone.•SrMn0.8Ce0.2O3 perovskite can be a promising catalyst for acetone combustion at low temperature.

Ultrafine SrMn1−xCexO3 (x = 0, 0.2) perovskites were prepared by self-combustion method and heat treatment at 1000 °C for 4 h. The structure and surface properties were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), EDX spectroscopy, and BET analysis. The catalyst properties of the perovskite nanopowders were tested in the catalytic combustion of dilute acetone at atmospheric pressure. The results revealed that the partial substitution of Mn by Ce ions (x = 0.2) in perovskite structure of SrMnO3 had significantly improved catalytic activity of the perovskite. The SrMn0.8Ce0,2O3 perovskite composition can be a good candidate for catalytic combustion of low concentration acetone (1–2‰ in air) at low temperatures. The acetone conversion over this catalyst exceeds 90% at 200 °C, whereas over SrMnO3 it is only 50%. Compared with SrMnO3, T50 is decreased by 75 °C and T90 is decreased by 70 °C. The enhancement of the catalytic activity at a Ce doping of 0.2 may be ascribed to smaller crystallite sizes, larger specific surface area and the presence of Ce and Mn cations with variable valence in the perovskite structure.

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