Deep Oxidation of NO by a Hybrid System of Plasma–N-Type Semiconductors: High-Energy Electron-Activated “Pseudo Photocatalysis” Behavior

A “pseudo photocatalysis” process, being initiated between plasma and N-type semiconductors in the absence of light, was investigated for NO removal for the first time via dynamic probing of reaction processes by FT-IR spectra. It was demonstrated that N-type semiconductor catalysts could be activated to produce electron–hole (e – –h + ) pairs by the collision of high-energy electrons (e*) from plasma. Due to the synergy of plasma and N-type semiconductors, major changes were noted in the conversion pathways and products. NO can be directly converted to NO 2 – and NO 3 – instead of toxic NO 2, owing to the formation of O 2 – and ·OH present in catalysts. New species like O 3 or ·O may be generated from the interaction between catalyst-induced species and radicals in plasma at a higher SIE, leading to deep oxidation of existing NO 2 to N 2 O 5 . Experiments with added trapping agents confirmed the contribution of e – and h + from catalysts. A series of possible reactions were proposed to describe reaction pathways and the mechanism of this synergistic effect. We established a novel system and realized an e*-activated “pseudo photocatalysis” behavior, facilitating the deep degradation of NO. We expect that this new strategy would provide a new idea for in-depth analysis of plasma-activated catalysis phenomenon.