High-Entropy Spinel Oxide as Highly Effective Catalysts for the Catalytic Combustion of Volatile Organic Compounds

Catalytic combustion is a promising solution, yet designing highly active and stable catalysts remains a challenge. In this work, a high-entropy spinel oxide (Ni_0.2Mg_0.2Cu_0.2Mn_0.2Co_0.2)Al₂O₄ was synthesized via a sol–gel method.

The results demonstrated that the (Ni_0.2Mg_0.2Cu_0.2Mn_0.2Co_0.2)Al₂O₄ calcined at 700 °C exhibited uniform elemental distribution and a high specific surface area of 110.2 m²/g. The catalyst exhibited a higher concentration of surface-reactive oxygen species and moderate C₃H₆ adsorption energy. For the catalytic combustion of propylene (C₃H₆), the catalyst achieved superior activity, a low apparent activation energy of 64.76 kJ/mol, and it maintained stable catalytic performance over 400 h without obvious deactivation.