Overcoming Discharge Inhibition in n-Butane Oxidation: Two-Component BaTiO3 and Mn-Cu Mixed Oxide Coatings

Abstract

A twin surface dielectric barrier discharge was used with a two-component coating to oxidize 300 ppm n-butane to CO2 and H2O in synthetic air at room temperature and at 160°C. The integration of BaTiO3 as a base material allowed the successful use of otherwise discharge ignition-inhibiting materials such as MnO2-CuO applied as a full coating. Pure BaTiO3 led to highly porous coatings that do not hinder the discharge ignition and show a negligible influence on n-butane conversion while reducing byproduct formation. The two-component coatings strongly increased the CO2 selectivity, reaching a maximum of 91.6% at an energy density of 450 J L−1 and 160°C for the 1:2 ratio of BaTiO3:catalyst.