CO oxidation on CuO/CeO2 catalyst prepared by solvothermal synthesis: influence of catalyst activation temperature

A series of CuO/CeO2 catalysts were prepared using a solvothermal method and a subsequent activation process. The influences of activation temperature (300–600 °C) on physicochemical properties and catalytic behavior of the prepared CuO/CeO2 catalysts have been investigated by XRD, SEM, Raman spectroscopy, SBET measurement, XPS surface analysis, H2-TPR, CO-TPD techniques, and CO oxidation testing. The catalyst activated at 450 °C was found to have the highest catalytic activity, which can be ascribed to its higher dispersion of Cu species, higher concentration of oxygen vacancies, and larger amount of more active lattice oxygen. The lower activity of the CuO/CeO2 catalysts activated at lower (<450 °C) and higher (>450 °C) temperatures are attributed to the weaker interaction between CuO and CeO2, and to the sintering of CuO nanoparticles, respectively.