Catalytic oxidation reactions for environmental remediation with transition metal nitride nanoparticles

Catalytic oxidation reactions, one of typical examples of environmental catalysis, can be effectively carried out with transition metal nitrides (TMNs) that are recently advanced much. TMNs are more advantageous compared to their counterpart, traditional metal oxides, due to their better electronic configuration, enhanced redox properties, lower operating temperatures, and resistance to sintering. They can be also used as a replacement for expensive noble metal catalysts. Considering their advantageous applications, a review about the preparation of the TMNs and their applications in oxidation catalysis is required. At the beginning of the review, the advantages of the TMNs over metal oxides were introduced. Next, the preparation methods of TMNs were discussed. Then, the application of TMNs in catalytic oxidation reactions, including oxidative desulfurization and denitrogenation of fuel, was discussed in detail. Finally, the contents were summarized and prospects were given for the future study of TMNs.