Preparation, characterization and CO oxidation activity of Cu-Ce-Zr mixed oxide catalysts via facile dry oxalate-precursor synthesis

CuO-CeO2-ZrO2 catalysts were prepared via facile dry oxalate-precursor synthesis and tested for CO oxidation. The effect of Cu contents was investigated by N-2 adsorption, TEM, XRD, XPS, H-2-TPR, CO-TPD and Raman techniques. The results show that CuO dispersion, S-BET and adsorbed CO amount exhibit a volcano trend with increasing the Cu content. The highest activity was achieved over the catalyst with 18 mol% Cu with the CO conversion being 99% at 85 degrees C. The superior performance of the catalyst prepared by this method is attributed to the finely dispersed CuO species and the strong interaction of CuO with ceria-zirconia phase. (C) 2015 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.