Flame synthesis of nanosized Cu-Ce-O, Ni-Ce-O, and Fe-Ce-O catalysts for the water-gas shift (WGS) reaction

Resolving a structural issue in cerium-nickel-based oxide: a single compound or a two-phase system?

CeNiO3 has been reported in the literature in the last few years as a novel LnNiO3 compound with promising applications in different catalytic fields, but its structure has not been correctly reported so far. In this research, CeNiO3 (RB1), CeO2 and NiO have been synthesized in a nanocrystalline form using a modified citrate aqueous sol-gel route. A direct comparison between the equimolar physical mixture (n(CeO2) : n(NiO) = 1 : 1) and compound RB1 was made. Their structural differences were investigated by laboratory powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) detector, and Raman spectroscopy. The surface of the compounds was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), while the thermal behaviour was explored by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Their magnetic properties were also investigated with the aim of exploring the differences between these two compounds. There were clear differences between the physical mixture of CeO2 + NiO and RB1 presented by all of these employed methods. Synchrotron methods, such as atomic pair distribution function analysis (PDF), X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), were used to explore the structure of RB1 in more detail. Three different models for the structural solution of RB1 were proposed. One structural solution proposes that RB1 is a single-phase pyrochlore compound (Ce2Ni2O7) while the other two solutions suggest that RB1 is a two-phase system of either CeO2 + NiO or Ce1-xNixO2 and NiO.

The degradation of phthalate esters in marine sediments by persulfate over iron-cerium oxide catalyst

This study investigated the degradation of phthalate esters (PAEs) in marine sediments by sodium persulfate (Na₂S₂O₈, PS) activated by a series of iron-cerium (Fe-Ce) bimetallic catalysts (FCBCs). The surface structure and chemistry of the FCBCs were characterized by TEM, HRTEM, XRD, FTIR, BET and XPS. Results show successful synthesis of FCBC catalysts. Factors such as PS concentration, Fe to Ce molar ratio, catalyst dosage, and initial pH that might affect PAEs degradation were investigated. Results revealed that PAEs was degraded more effectively over FCBC with a Fe-Ce molar ratio of 1.5:1. Increase in Ce improved the catalytic activity of FCBC due to increase in oxygen storage capacity (OSC). Acidic conditions enhanced PAEs degradation with a maximum degradation of 86% at pH 2 and rate constant (k_obs) of 1.5 × 10^-1 h^-1 when the PS and FCBC concentrations were to 1.0 × 10^-5 M and 1.67 g/L, respectively. Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) was a salient marker of PAE contamination in sediments. Dimethyl phthalate (DMP) and diethyl phthalate (DEP) were easier to degrade than DEHP, diisononyl phthalate (DINP), dioctyl phthalate (DnOP) and diisononyl phthalate (DIDP). The synergistic catalytic effect of Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ and Ce⁴⁺/Ce³⁺ redox couples, in addition to electron transfer of oxygen vacancies, activated S₂O₈^2- to generate SO₄^- and HO radicals, which played the major role of PAEs degradation. 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) spin trapping EPR studies verified the crucial role of SO₄^- and HO in the oxidative degradation process. FCBC/PS oxidation exhibited high-performance for the remediation of PAEs-contaminated marine sediments.

MOF-derived noble-metal-free Cu/CeO2 with high porosity for the efficient water–gas shift reaction at low temperatures

A metal organic framework templated Cu/CeO₂ catalyst exhibited enhanced catalytic performance for the water–gas shift reaction at low temperatures.

Highly Active and Stable Pt-Loaded Ce0.75Zr0.25O2 Yolk-Shell Catalyst for Water-Gas Shift Reaction

Multishelled, Pt-loaded Ce0.75Zr0.25O2 yolk-shell microspheres were prepared by a simple spray pyrolysis process for use in the water-gas shift (WGS) reaction. The Pt-loading was optimized, obtaining highly active Pt/Ce0.75Zr0.25O2 yolk-shell nanostructures for the WGS. Of the prepared catalysts, a 2% Pt loading of the Ce0.75Zr0.25O2 yolk-shell microspheres showed the highest CO conversion. The high catalytic activity of the 2% Pt/Ce0.75Zr0.2O2 catalyst was mainly due to its easier reducibility and the maintenance of active catalytic Pt species. The Pt-loaded Ce0.75Zr0.25O2 catalyst microspheres were highly resistant to Pt sintering because of their unique yolk-shell structure. Spray pyrolysis was found to be highly efficient for the production of precious-metal-loaded, multicomponent metal oxide yolk-shell microspheres for catalytic applications.

Synthesis of Mixed Cu/Ce Oxide Nanoparticles by the Oil-in-Water Microemulsion Reaction Method

Cerium oxide and mixed Cu/Ce oxide nanoparticles were prepared by the oil-in-water (O/W) microemulsion reaction method in mild conditions. The Cu/Ce molar ratio was varied between 0/100 and 50/50. According to X-ray diffraction (XRD), below 30/70 Cu/Ce molar ratio, the materials presented a single phase consistent with cubic fluorite CeO₂. However, above Cu/Ce molar ratio 30/70, an excess monoclinic CuO phase in coexistence with the predominant Cu/Ce mixed oxide was detected by XRD and High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM). Raman spectroscopy showed that oxygen vacancies increased significantly as the Cu content was increased. Band gap (E_g) was investigated as a function of the Cu/Ce molar ratio, resulting in values from 2.91 eV for CeO₂ to 2.32 eV for the mixed oxide with 30/70 Cu/Ce molar ratio. These results indicate that below 30/70 Cu/Ce molar ratio, Cu²⁺ is at least partially incorporated into the ceria lattice and very well dispersed in general. In addition, the photodegradation of Indigo Carmine dye under visible light irradiation was explored for selected samples; it was shown that these materials can remove such contaminants, either by adsorption and/or photodegradation. The results obtained will encourage investigation into the optical and photocatalytic properties of these mixed oxides, for widening their potential applications.

Engineering the NiO/CeO2 interface to enhance the catalytic performance for CO oxidation

In this work, NiO/CeO₂ catalysts were synthesized with tunable CeO₂ crystal facets ({110}, {111} and {100} facets) to study the crystal-plane effects on the catalytic properties.

Role of the surface chemistry of ceria surfaces on silicate adsorption

Ceria nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely explored as a promising material in various fields. As synthesized under various physicochemical conditions, it exhibits the different surface chemistry. Here, the role of hydroxyl and nitrate group on ceria surface, formed under various physicochemical conditions, for the silicate adsorption was experimentally and theoretically investigated based on the adsorption isotherms and theoretical analyses using density functional theory (DFT) calculation. Experimental results acquired from adsorption isotherms with Freundlich model indicated that the nitrate group shows a much higher affinity with silicate than the hydroxyl groups. These phenomena were demonstrated through the theoretical approaches that exhibit the binding energy of the NO3-ceria (-4.383 eV) on the SiO2 surface being much higher than that of the OH-ceria (-3.813 eV). In good agreement with the experimental and the theoretical results based on adsorption properties, the results of chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) also show that the nitrate groups significantly enhance the removal of SiO2 than the hydroxyl groups. The results investigated in this study will provide researchers, studying the ceria NPs, with guidelines on the importance of exploring the surface chemistry of ceria.