Carbon nanomaterial-SmMn2O5 nanocrystal composites with highly efficient catalytic oxidation of NO

SmMn2O5 has been reported as a promising substitute for noble metals to achieve highly efficient NO oxidation. In this work, the composites of carbon nanomaterials (carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide) and SmMn2O5 nanocrystals are successfully synthesized through a hydrothermal method, and their catalytic activities for NO oxidation are investigated as well. The performance evaluation indicates that the introduction of carbon nanotube and graphene oxide in the SmMn2O5 nanocrystal composites improve the activity for NO oxidation. Carbon nanotubes contribute to the improvement of the catalytic activity in the low-temperature region, while graphene oxide helps to increase activity in the high-temperature region. By the analysis of differential scanning calorimetry, the performance improvement of the NO oxidation is found to be dependent on the heat release of carbon nanomaterials in the different temperature regions. These results could provide a new way to improve the NO oxidation performance of SmMn2O5 nanocrystals.