Summary
Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is the standard way to convert harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx) from exhaust and flue gases into harmless nitrogen, and the workhorse catalyst is vanadium–tungsten-doped titania. Conventionally this catalyst is coated onto a bulky honeycomb support. Here the authors instead electrospin V–W–TiO₂ directly into self-supporting, nonwoven ceramic nanofibres, in which vanadium and tungsten form a solid solution within the anatase TiO₂ phase. The interconnected, highly porous fibre mat lets every nanofibre act as a miniature reactor, so the membrane itself becomes an ultra-compact, lightweight SCR unit with open porosity and good mechanical integrity — no separate support needed. Preliminary catalytic tests indicate NOx conversion efficiency superior to a state-of-the-art reference material, demonstrating a promising route to compact de-NOx reactors.