Unraveling the Dynamic Nature of a CuO/CeO2 Catalyst for CO Oxidation in Operando: A Combined Study of XANES (Fluorescence) and DRIFTS

Kinetic and Computational Studies of CO Oxidation and PROX on Cu/CeO2 Nanospheres

As supported CuO is well-known for low temperature activity, CuO/CeO2 nanosphere catalysts were synthesized and tested for CO oxidation and preferential oxidation of CO (PROX) in excess H2. For the first reaction, ignition was observed at 95 °C, whereas selective PROX occurred in a temperature window from 50 to 100 °C. The catalytic performance was independent of the initial oxidation state of the catalyst (CuO vs. Cu0), suggesting that the same active phase is formed under reaction conditions. Density functional modeling was applied to elucidate the intermediate steps of CO oxidation, as well as those of the comparably less feasible H2 transformation. In the simulations, various Cu and vacancy sites were probed as reactive centers enabling specific pathways.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11244-023-01848-x.

Boosting CO Catalytic Oxidation Performance via Highly Dispersed Copper Atomic Clusters: Regulated Electron Interaction and Reaction Pathways

Copper-loaded ceria (Cu/CeO₂) catalysts have become promising for the catalytic oxidation of industrial CO emissions. Since their superior redox property mainly arises from the synergistic effect between Cu and the CeO₂ support, the dispersion state of Cu species may dominate the catalytic performance of Cu/CeO₂ catalysts: the extremely high or low dispersity is disadvantageous for the catalytic performance. The nanoparticle catalysts usually present few contact sites, while the single-atom catalysts tend to be passivated due to their relatively single valence state. To achieve a suitable dispersion state, we synthesized a superior Cu/CeO₂ catalyst with Cu atomic clusters, realizing high atomic exposure and unit atomic activity simultaneously via favorable electron interaction and an anchoring effect. The catalyst reaches a 90% CO conversion at 130 °C, comparable to noble-metal catalysts. According to combined in situ spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations, the superior CO oxidation performance of the Cu atomic cluster catalyst results from the joint efforts of effective adsorption of CO at the electrophilic sites, the CO spillover phenomenon, and the efficient bicarbonate pathway triggered by hydroxyl. By providing a superior atomic cluster catalyst and uncovering the catalytic oxidation mechanism of Cu-Ce dual-active sites, our work may enlighten future research on industrial gaseous pollutant removal.

Impact of Hydrothermally Prepared Support on the Catalytic Properties of CuCe Oxide for Preferential CO Oxidation Reaction

CuCe mixed oxide is one of the most studied catalytic systems for preferential CO oxidation (CO-PrOx) for the purification of hydrogen-rich gas stream. In this study, a series of ceria supports were prepared via a citrates-hydrothermal route by altering the synthesis parameters (concentration and temperature). The resulting supports were used for the preparation of CuCe mixed-oxide catalysts via wet impregnation. Various physicochemical techniques were utilized for the characterization of the resulting materials, whereas the CuCe oxide catalysts were assessed in CO-PrOx reaction. Through the proper modification of the hydrothermal parameters, CeO2 supports with tunable properties can be formed, thus targeting the formation of highly active and selective catalysts. The nature of the reduced copper species and the optimum content in oxygen vacancies seems to be the key factors behind the remarkable catalytic performance of a CO-PrOx reaction.

Formation of Interfacial Cu-[OX ]-Ce Structures with Oxygen Vacancies for Enhanced Electrocatalytic Nitrogen Reduction

Electrochemical nitrogen reduction powered by renewable electricity is a promising strategy to produce ammonia. However, the lack of efficient yet cheap electrocatalysts remains the biggest challenge. Herein, hybrid Cu₂ O-CeO₂ -C nanorods are prepared on copper mesh through a metal-organic framework template route. The Cu-loaded Ce-MOF is thermally converted to Cu₂ O-CeO₂ heterojunctions with interfacial Cu-[O_X ]-Ce structures embedded in carbon. Theoretical calculations reveal the lower formation energy of oxygen vacancies in Cu-[O_X ]-Ce structures than in the Cu₂ O or CeO₂ phase. The Cu-[O_X ]-Ce structures with oxygen vacancies enable the formation of interfacial electron-rich Cu(I) species which show significantly enhanced performance toward electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction with an NH₃ yield of 6.37 × 10^-3  µg s^-1 cm^-2 and a Faradaic efficiency of 18.21% in 0.10 m KOH at -0.3 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode. This work highlights the importance of modulation of charge distribution of Cu-based electrocatalysts to boost the activity toward nitrogen reduction.

Reduction-Driven 3D to 2D Transformation of Cu Nanoparticles

The interaction between metal and metal oxides at the nanoscale is of uttermost importance in several fields, thus its enhancement is highly desirable. In catalysis, the performance of the nanoparticles is dependent on a wide range of properties, including its shape that is commonly considered stable during the catalytic reaction. In this study, highly reducible CeO_2-x nanoparticles are synthesized aiming to provide Cu/CeO_2-x nanoparticles, which are classically active catalysts for the CO oxidation reaction. It is observed that the Cu nanoparticles shape changes during reduction treatment (prior to the CO oxidation reaction) from a nearly spherical 3D to a planar 2D shape, then enhances the Cu-CeO_2-x interaction. The spread of the Cu nanoparticles over the CeO_2-x surface during the reduction treatment occurs due to the minimization of the total system energy. The shape change is accompanied by migration of O atoms from CeO₂ surface to the border of the Cu nanoparticles and the change from the Cu⁰ to Cu⁺¹ state. The spreading of the Cu nanoparticles influences on the reactivity results toward the CO oxidation reaction since it changes the local atomic order around Cu atoms. The results show a timely contribution for enhancing the interaction between metal and metal oxide.

Insight into the Morphology-Dependent Catalytic Performance of CuO/CeO2 Produced by Tannic Acid for Efficient Hydrogenation of 4-Nitrophenol

The construction of a heterogeneous nanocatalyst with outstanding catalytic performance via an environmentally benign and cost-effective synthetic category has long been one of the challenges in nanotechnology. Herein, we synthesized highly efficient and low-cost mesoporous morphology-dependent CuO/CeO₂ -Rods and CuO/CeO₂ -Cubes catalysts by employing a green and multifunctional polyphenolic compound (tannic acid) as the stabilizer and chelating agent for 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) reduction reaction. The CuO/CeO₂ -Rods exhibited excellent performance, of which the activity was 3.2 times higher than that of CuO/CeO₂ -Cubes. This can be connected with the higher density of oxygen vacancy on CeO₂ -Rods (110) than CeO₂ -Cubes (100), the oxygen vacancy favors anchoring CuO species on the CeO₂ support, which promotes the strong interaction between finely dispersed CuO and CeO₂ -Rods at the interfacial positions and facilitates the electron transfer from BH₄ ^- to 4-NP. The synergistic catalytic mechanism illustrated that 4-NP molecules preferentially adsorbed on the CeO₂ , while H₂ from BH₄ ^- dissociated over CuO to form highly active H* species, contributing to achieving efficient hydrogenation of 4-NP. This study is expected to shed light on designing and synthesizing cost-effective and high-performance nanocatalysts through a greener synthetic method for the areas of catalysis, nanomaterial science and engineering, and chemical synthesis.

A computational investigation of the adsorption of small copper clusters on the CeO2(110) surface

We report a detailed density functional theory (DFT) study of the geometrical and electronic properties, and the growth mechanism of a Cu_n (n = 1-4) cluster on a stoichiometric, and especially on a defective CeO₂(110) surface with one surface oxygen vacancy, without using pre-assumed gas-phase Cu_n cluster shapes. This gives new and valuable theoretical insight into experimental work regarding debatable active sites of promising CuO_x/CeO₂-nanorod catalysts in many reactions. We demonstrate that CeO₂(110) is highly reducible upon Cu_n adsorption, with electron transfer from Cu_n clusters, and that a Cu_n cluster grows along the long bridge sites until Cu₃, so that each Cu atom can interact strongly with surface oxygen ions at these sites, forming stable structures on both stoichiometric and defective CeO₂(110) surface. Cu-Cu interactions are, however, limited, since Cu atoms are distant from each other, inhibiting the formation of Cu-Cu bonds. This monolayer then begins to grow into a bilayer as seen in the Cu₃ to Cu₄ transition, with long-bridge site Cu as anchoring sites. Our calculations on Cu₄ adsorption reveal a Cu bilayer rich in Cu⁺ species at the Cu-O interface.

The Electrophilicity of Surface Carbon Species in the Redox Reactions of CuO-CeO2 Catalysts

Electronic metal–support interactions (EMSI) describe the electron flow between metal sites and a metal oxide support. It is generally used to follow the mechanism of redox reactions. In this study of CuO‐CeO₂ redox, an additional flow of electrons from metallic Cu to surface carbon species is observed via a combination of operando X‐ray absorption spectroscopy, synchrotron X‐ray powder diffraction, near ambient pressure near edge X‐ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy. An electronic metal–support–carbon interaction (EMSCI) is proposed to explain the reaction pathway of CO oxidation. The EMSCI provides a complete picture of the mass and electron flow, which will help predict and improve the catalytic performance in the selective activation of CO₂, carbonate, or carbonyl species in C1 chemistry.

Cu oxide deposited on shape-controlled ceria nanocrystals for CO oxidation: influence of interface-driven oxidation states on catalytic activity

The polar CeO2 (100) surface facets contribute considerably to the formation of surface hydroxyl groups, which are necessary for selective, stable Cu1+ state loading and enhancement of CO oxidation activity.

Improvement of thermal stability of highly active species on SiO2 supported copper-ceria catalysts

CuO–CeO₂/SiO₂ catalysts lose activity when they are calcined at 600 °C and temperatures above. This loss of activity was related to a decrease in the amount of highly dispersed Cu species interacting with Ce (CuO–CeO₂ interface) over the SiO₂ support. These species are highly active in CO oxidation, so this reaction was selected to conduct this study. In order to avoid the activity loss in CuO–CeO₂/SiO₂ catalysts, the effect of high Ce loads (8, 16, 24, and 36%) on the thermal stability of these catalysts was studied. The results reveal that when increasing calcination temperature from 500 to 700 °C, the catalysts with Ce load equal to or higher than 24% increase the formation of highly dispersed Cu interacting with Ce and therefore the activity (90% of CO conversion at 120 °C). In catalysts with Ce load below 24%, Cu species agglomerate and decrease the activity (less than 5% of CO conversion at 120 °C).

CuO–CeO₂/SiO₂ catalysts with Ce loading of 24% and above keep high activity after calcination at 700 °C. Therefore, a catalyst with high thermal stability of CuO–CeO₂ interface can be obtained able to work in a higher range of temperatures.

Adsorption and activation of molecular oxygen over atomic copper(I/II) site on ceria

Supported atomic metal sites have discrete molecular orbitals. Precise control over the energies of these sites is key to achieving novel reaction pathways with superior selectivity. Here, we achieve selective oxygen (O₂) activation by utilising a framework of cerium (Ce) cations to reduce the energy of 3d orbitals of isolated copper (Cu) sites. Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance and density-functional theory simulations are used to demonstrate that a [Cu(I)O₂]^3- site selectively adsorbs molecular O₂, forming a rarely reported electrophilic η²-O₂ species at 298 K. Assisted by neighbouring Ce(III) cations, η²-O₂ is finally reduced to two O^2-, that create two Cu-O-Ce oxo-bridges at 453 K. The isolated Cu(I)/(II) sites are ten times more active in CO oxidation than CuO clusters, showing a turnover frequency of 0.028 ± 0.003 s^-1 at 373 K and 0.01 bar P_CO. The unique electronic structure of [Cu(I)O₂]^3- site suggests its potential in selective oxidation.

Dispersion of copper oxide species on nanostructured ceria

Copper oxides species deposited on ceria rods, particles, and cubes were examined for low-temperature oxidation of CO. It was found that the shape of ceria altered the dispersion and chemical state of copper species considerably. CuO_x monolayers and bilayers were formed on ceria rods and particles, while multilayers and faceted particles co-existed on ceria cubes. The formation of Cu⁺ species at the copper-ceria interface involved a significant charge transfer from copper oxides to the ceria surface via a strong electronic interaction, which was more pronounced on ceria rods. The concentrations of surface Cu⁺ and oxygen vacancies followed the order rods > particles > cubes, in line with their catalytic activity for CO oxidation at 343 K.

Recent Advances on the Rational Design of Non-Precious Metal Oxide Catalysts Exemplified by CuOx/CeO2 Binary System: Implications of Size, Shape and Electronic Effects on Intrinsic Reactivity and Metal-Support Interactions

Catalysis is an indispensable part of our society, massively involved in numerous energy and environmental applications. Although, noble metals (NMs)-based catalysts are routinely employed in catalysis, their limited resources and high cost hinder the widespread practical application. In this regard, the development of NMs-free metal oxides (MOs) with improved catalytic activity, selectivity and durability is currently one of the main research pillars in the area of heterogeneous catalysis. The present review, involving our recent efforts in the field, aims to provide the latest advances—mainly in the last 10 years—on the rational design of MOs, i.e., the general optimization framework followed to fine-tune non-precious metal oxide sites and their surrounding environment by means of appropriate synthetic and promotional/modification routes, exemplified by CuOx/CeO2 binary system. The fine-tuning of size, shape and electronic/chemical state (e.g., through advanced synthetic routes, special pretreatment protocols, alkali promotion, chemical/structural modification by reduced graphene oxide (rGO)) can exert a profound influence not only to the reactivity of metal sites in its own right, but also to metal-support interfacial activity, offering highly active and stable materials for real-life energy and environmental applications. The main implications of size-, shape- and electronic/chemical-adjustment on the catalytic performance of CuOx/CeO2 binary system during some of the most relevant applications in heterogeneous catalysis, such as CO oxidation, N2O decomposition, preferential oxidation of CO (CO-PROX), water gas shift reaction (WGSR), and CO2 hydrogenation to value-added products, are thoroughly discussed. It is clearly revealed that the rational design and tailoring of NMs-free metal oxides can lead to extremely active composites, with comparable or even superior reactivity than that of NMs-based catalysts. The obtained conclusions could provide rationales and design principles towards the development of cost-effective, highly active NMs-free MOs, paving also the way for the decrease of noble metals content in NMs-based catalysts.

Recent advances in synergistic effect promoted catalysts for preferential oxidation of carbon monoxide

We reviewed recent advances in catalysts for PROX with emphasis on synergistic effects that contribute to enhanced catalytic performance.

The influence of ceria on Cu/TiO2 catalysts to produce abundant oxygen vacancies and induce highly efficient CO oxidation

Ce and Cu species deposited on TiO₂ can apparently provide a higher turnover frequency rate and lower activation energy than the Cu/TiO₂ catalyst and the Ce and Cu species on SiO₂ catalysts.

High-heat treatment enhanced catalytic activity of CuO/CeO2 catalysts with low CuO content for CO oxidation

CuO/CeO₂ catalysts with low CuO content and calcined at 800 °C exhibited better catalytic performance than those calcined at 500 °C. The coordinatively unsaturated copper atoms were proved to be the main active sites in the CuO/CeO₂ catalysts.

Silicon microfabricated reactor for operando XAS/DRIFTS studies of heterogeneous catalytic reactions

A novel microreactor for operando XAS and DRIFTS studies of catalytic reactions is reported, exhibiting plug-flow, isothermal behaviour and absence of mass transfer resistances and dead volume, enabling time- and spatially-resolved experiments.

Catalytic Combustion of Diesel Soot on Ce/Zr Series Catalysts Prepared by Sol-Gel Method

Cerium-zirconium (Ce-Zr) solid solutions have been extensively used in a wide variety of catalytic processes due to their unique catalytic features in conjunction with lower cost compared to noble metal-based systems. A series of Ce-Zr-based catalysts was prepared by the sol-gel method. The structure and morphology of these catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Furthermore, investigation on catalytic performance was carried out by constructing a test platform, and the result indicated that the catalysts apparently decreased the soot ignition temperature. These catalysts exhibited higher catalytic activity for soot oxidation under narrow contact conditions. The results revealed that some soot particles could react with adsorbed oxygen, and other part of diesel soot reacted with lattice oxygen. The activity of these catalysts was attributed to synergistic effect arising from the combination of K/Co/Zr and Ce-Zr solid solution, which led to the decrease in the ignition temperature to 294 °C (data from the test platform). The catalyst still keeps good stability and catalytic activity after the cycle oxidation experiment. A reaction pathway was proposed to explain catalytic combustion process of soot, i.e., combination of K/Co/Zr with Ce-Zr solid solution reduced the binding energy of Ce-Zr solid solution, which was conducive to provide more active sites to release the active oxygen (O2−) or lattice oxygen (O2−).

A flexible cell for in situ combined XAS-DRIFTS-MS experiments

A new cell for in situ combined X-ray absorption, diffuse reflectance IR Fourier transform and mass spectroscopies (XAS-DRIFTS-MS) is presented. The cell stands out among others for its achievements and flexibility. It is possible to perform XAS measurements in transmission or fluorescence modes, and the cell is compatible with external devices like UV-light and Raman probes. It includes different sample holders compatible with the different XAS detection modes, different sample forms (free powder or self-supporting pellet) and different sample loading/total absorption. Additionally, it has a small dead volume and can operate over a wide range of temperature (up to 600°C) and pressure (up to 5 bar). Three research examples will be shown to illustrate the versatility of the cell. This cell covers a wider range of applications than any other cell currently known for this type of study.

Triple-shelled CuO/CeO2 hollow nanospheres derived from metal–organic frameworks as highly efficient catalysts for CO oxidation

Through a metal–organic framework engaged strategy, triple-shelled CuO/CeO₂-8% hollow nanospheres are fabricated as superior nanocatalysts for CO oxidation with excellent catalytic activity and cyclic stability.

Litchi-peel-like hierarchical hollow copper-ceria microspheres: aerosol-assisted synthesis and high activity and stability for catalytic CO oxidation

Copper-ceria is considered to be a promising system used in exhaust treatment due to its low cost and decent catalytic activity. Herein, we have developed novel litchi-peel-like hollow copper-ceria microspheres with varying Cu contents via an aerosol-assisted route. It is found that the dextrin in the spray solution plays a significant role as a sacrificial template and leads to the formation of this hierarchical hollow structure, in which higher surface area and active CuOx species with higher dispersion result in better catalytic activity compared to the usual hollow samples. The litchi-peel-like sample with 20% Cu exhibits the best reactivity for CO oxidation, namely 50% conversion at 83 °C and 100% conversion at 120 °C. Importantly, this novel copper-ceria sample displays outstanding catalytic stability involving cycle stability, long-term stability and thermal stability, which is attributed to step-stabilized strong interaction between CuOx species and CeO2. The superior catalytic activity and stability beyond commercial 5 wt% Pt/Al2O3 provides it with the potential to be a substitute for Pt-based catalysts in practical applications.

XAS/DRIFTS/MS spectroscopy for time-resolved operando investigations at high temperature

The combination of complementary techniques in the characterization of catalysts under working conditions is a very powerful tool for an accurate and in-depth comprehension of the system investigated. In particular, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) coupled with diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and mass spectroscopy (MS) is a powerful combination since XAS characterizes the main elements of the catalytic system (selecting the absorption edge) and DRIFTS monitors surface adsorbates while MS enables product identification and quantification. In the present manuscript, a new reactor cell and an experimental setup optimized to perform time-resolved experiments on heterogeneous catalysts under working conditions are reported. A key feature of this setup is the possibility to work at high temperature and pressure, with a small cell dead volume. To demonstrate these capabilities, performance tests with and without X-rays are performed. The effective temperature at the sample surface, the speed to purge the gas volume inside the cell and catalytic activity have been evaluated to demonstrate the reliability and usefulness of the cell. The setup capability of combining XAS, DRIFTS and MS spectroscopies is demonstrated in a time-resolved experiment, following the reduction of NO by Rh nanoparticles supported on alumina.

Pt-Embedded CuO x-CeO2 Multicore-Shell Composites: Interfacial Redox Reaction-Directed Synthesis and Composition-Dependent Performance for CO Oxidation

Exploring the state-of-the-art heterogeneous catalysts has been a general concern for sustainable and clean energy. Here, Pt-embedded CuO _x-CeO₂ multicore-shell (Pt/CuO _x-CeO₂ MS) composites are fabricated at room temperature via a one-pot and template-free procedure for catalyzing CO oxidation, a classical probe reaction, showing a volcano-shaped relationship between the composition and catalytic activity. We experimentally unravel that the Pt/CuO _x-CeO₂ MS composites are derived from an interfacial autoredox process, where Pt nanoparticles (NPs) are in situ encapsulated by self-assembled ceria nanospheres with CuO _x clusters adhered through deposition/precipitation-calcination process. Only Cu-O and Pt-Pt coordination structures are determined for CuO _x clusters and Pt NPs in Pt/CuO _x-CeO₂ MS, respectively. Importantly, the close vicinity between Pt and CeO₂ benefits to more oxygen vacancies in CeO₂ counterparts and results in thin oxide layers on Pt NPs. Meanwhile, the introduction of CuO _x clusters is crucial for triggering synergistic catalysis, which leads to high resistance to aggregation of Pt NPs and improvement of catalytic performance. In CO oxidation reaction, both Pt^δ+-CO and Cu⁺-CO can act as active sites during CO adsorption and activation. Nonetheless, redundant content of Pt or Cu will induce a strongly bound Pt-O-Ce or Cu-[O _x]-Ce structures in air-calcinated Pt/CuO _x-CeO₂ MS composites, respectively, which are both deleterious to catalytic reactivity. As a result, the composition-dependent catalytic activity and superior durability of Pt/CuO _x-CeO₂ MS composites toward CO oxidation reaction are achieved. This work should be instructive for fabricating desirable multicomponent catalysts composed of noble metal and bimetallic oxide composites for diverse heterogeneous catalysis.

Fluorescence-detected XAS with sub-second time resolution reveals new details about the redox activity of Pt/CeO2 catalyst

A setup for fluorescence-detected X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) with sub-second time resolution has been developed. This technique allows chemical speciation of low-concentrated materials embedded in highly absorbing matrices, which cannot be studied using transmission XAS. Using this setup, the reactivity of 1.5 wt% Pt/CeO₂ catalyst was studied with 100 ms resolution during periodic cycling in CO- and oxygen-containing atmospheres in a plug-flow reactor. Measurements were performed at the Pt L₃- and Ce L₃-edges. The reactivity of platinum and cerium demonstrated a strong correlation. The oxidation of the catalyst starts on the ceria support helping the oxidation of platinum nanoparticles. The new time-resolved XAS setup can be applied to various systems, capable of reproducible cycling between different states triggered by gas atmosphere, light, temperature, etc. It opens up new perspectives for mechanistic studies on automotive catalysts, selective oxidation catalysts and photocatalysts.