Effect of support modification on reduction and CO oxidation activity of doped ceria-supported copper oxide catalyst

Ceria materials were modified by doping with gadolinia or yttria and by a hold period at 260degreesC for 2 h during temperature-programme calcinations to 650degreesC. These doped ceria-supported copper oxide catalysts and the doped ceria material were characterized by temperature-programme reduction, electron paramagnetic resonance, and CO oxidation activity test. It was observed that, as the doping concentration of gadolinia increases, the reduction temperature of the copper oxide species increases and the CO oxidation activity decreases. This is due to increase formation of the surface spinel species of copper oxide with gadolinia. As the yttria content increases to greater than 10 mol%, surface segregation occurs, which causes the amount of surface oxygen vacancies to decrease. It was also found that maintaining the temperature at 260degreesC during calcination may decrease the amount of oxygen vacancies. The surface oxygen vacancies may be the active sites for CO oxidation over the oxygen ion conducting materials in the absence of any metal present. Gd doping leads to the formation of extrinsic oxygen vacancies, which increases the oxygen ionic conductivity of the dope ceria and thus increases the CO oxidation activities of the supported catalysts as well as of the doped ceria.