Abstract
Ground-level ozone (O3) is a major air pollutant, and catalytic decomposition represents a promising strategy for its removal. However, maintaining high catalytic efficiency under humid conditions remains a considerable challenge. In this study, we encapsulate ultrafine metal oxides (UMOs; e.g., Co3O4, NiO) within the nanopores of an Fe3O-cluster-based metal–organic framework, PCN-333(Fe), for catalytic O3 decomposition. The optimized 30% Co3O4@PCN-333(Fe) catalyst achieves sustained 100% O3 conversion for over 120 hours in a continuous airflow containing 40 ppm O3 under high space velocity (1.75 × 105 h-1) and a broad range of humidity (10-90% RH). Mechanistic investigations reveal that the exceptional performance originates from an interfacial hydrogen-atom transfer process between Co3O4 and the Fe3O clusters of PCN-333(Fe), as confirmed by in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and in situ Raman spectroscopy. This work proposes a general principle for designing humidity-immune catalytic interfaces between metal oxides and porous materials, thereby providing a practical foundation for sustainable control of pollutant emissions in complex environments.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22171121), the Applied Basic Research Plan of Liaoning Province (2023JH2/101300007).
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Z.H. conceived and designed this project. Y.L. and T.L. performed the experiments, Y.L. and Y.H. carried out the DFT calculation, Y.L. analyzed the data, Y.L., Z.H., and Z.-M.Z. wrote and revised the manuscript.
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Lou, Y., Han, Y., Li, T. et al. Metal-organic framework-confined Co3O4 for humidity-immune ozone decomposition. Nat Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70324-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70324-3
