What is the catalyst for the destruction of ozone?

Transition metal oxides can destroy the structure of ozone molecules and quickly decompose ozone into oxygen. Among them, manganese dioxide has the best catalytic performance. In reality, highly active manganese dioxide is usually mixed with copper oxide to make ozone destruction catalysts.

Why destroy ozone?

After ozone is used, a large amount of residue will remain. The remaining ozone cannot be discharged directly, otherwise it will damage the equipment and the environment. Ozone degrades slowly under natural conditions, and catalysts are usually used to accelerate ozone degradation.

What is the principle of ozone decomposition?

The ozone molecule is composed of three oxygen atoms. The catalyst will destroy the chemical bonds of the ozone molecule, producing one oxygen molecule and one oxygen free radical. In a very short time, the oxygen free radicals will combine with each other to become oxygen molecules and release heat. This process is called catalytic decomposition of ozone, which can also be called catalytic reduction.

What are the active substances that can catalyze the destruction of ozone?

Transition metal oxides have the ability to catalyze the decomposition of ozone, but different oxides have different abilities to catalyze the decomposition of ozone. After experiments by scientists, the following substances can decompose ozone with high efficiency:

1. Manganese dioxide
2. copper oxide
3. silver oxide
4. cobalt oxide
5. zinc oxide
6. ferric oxide
7. tungsten oxide

Among them, manganese dioxide has a stronger ability to decompose ozone than other oxides.

How to make better ozone-destroying catalysts

When manufacturing ozone destruction catalysts, we need to select active substances that can effectively decompose ozone while minimizing costs. Typically, we use a mixture of manganese dioxide and copper oxide, which is more effective than either component alone. The copper oxide significantly improves the stability of the catalyst.