Cooperative effect between copper species and oxygen vacancy in Ce_0.7−xZr_xCu_0.3O₂ catalysts for carbon monoxide oxidation

Abstract

The effects of Zr doping on the existence of Cu and the catalytic performance of Ce_0.7−xZr_xCu_0.3O₂ for CO oxidation were investigated. The characterization results showed that all samples have a cubic structure, and a small amount of Zr doping facilitates Cu²⁺ ions entering the CeO₂ lattice, but excessive Zr doping leads to the formation of surface CuO crystals again. Thus, the number of oxygen vacancies caused by the Cu²⁺ entering the lattice (e.g., Cu²⁺–□–Ce⁴⁺; □: oxygen vacancy), and the amount of reducible copper species caused by CuO crystals, varies with the Zr doping. Catalytic CO oxidation tests indicated that the oxygen vacancy and the reducible copper species were the adsorption and activation sites of O₂ and CO, respectively, and the cooperative effects between them accounted for the high CO oxidation activity. Thus, the samples x = 0.1 and 0.3, which possessed the most oxygen vacancy or reducible copper species, showed the best activity for CO oxidation, with full CO conversion obtained at 110 °C. The catalyst is also stable and has good resistance to water during the reaction.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Ce–Zr–Cu–O / CO oxidation / reducible copper species / oxygen vacancy / cooperative effect

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Acknowledgments

The financial support provided by the following organisations is gratefully acknowledged: Natural National Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21976141); the Central Committee Guides Local Science and Technology Development Special Project of Hubei Province (Grant No. 2019ZYYD073); the Outstanding Young and Middle-aged Scientific and Technological Innovation Team of the Education Department of Hubei Province (Grant No. T2020011); and the Opening Project of Hubei Key Laboratory of Biomass Fibers and Eco-Dyeing & Finishing (Grant No. STRZ2020003).

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-021-2106-2 and is accessible for authorized users.

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