β-Co(OH)₂ Nanostructures with High Spin Co(II) in Distorted [CoO₆] for Catalytic Ozone Decomposition

There is a high demand to synthesize ozone decomposition catalysts especially in high-space-velocity and high-relative-humidity (RH) environments. Herein, two polymorphs of cobalt hydroxide, α- and β-Co(OH)2, are synthesized and applied for ozone elimination. β-Co(OH)2 shows ∼90% ozone decomposition efficiency under high space velocity (weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) = 1,200,000 mL g–1 h–1, 25 °C, 40 ppm), which is far higher than that of α-Co(OH)2 (∼5%). β-Co(OH)2 has high spin Co(II) in distorted octahedral coordination caused by the Jahn-Teller effect, leading to a higher crystal field splitting energy level and thus contributing to the easier electron transfer between the ozone and catalyst. Moreover, β-Co(OH)2 still shows high performance (∼87%) even in humid conditions (RH ∼50%, 25 °C, 40 ppm, WHSV = 600,000 mL g–1 h–1), which is attributable to its abundant surface non-hydrogen-bonded hydroxyls weakening water molecule adsorption, providing an idea to develop highly efficient catalysts for ozone decomposition in humid environments.