Effect of the microstructure of the supported catalysts CuO/TiO2 and CuO/(CeO2-TiO2) on their catalytic properties in carbon monoxide oxidation

Abstract

The effect of the microstructure of titanium dioxide on the structure, thermal stability, and catalytic properties of supported CuO/TiO2 and CuO/(CeO2-TiO2) catalysts in CO oxidation was studied. The formation of a nanocrystalline structure was found in the CuO/TiO2 catalysts calcined at 500°C. This nanocrystalline structure consisted of aggregated fine anatase particles about 10 nm in size and interblock boundaries between them, in which Cu2+ ions were stabilized. Heat treatment of this catalyst at 700°C led to a change in its microstructure with the formation of fine CuO particles 2.5–3 nm in size, which were strongly bound to the surface of TiO2 (anatase) with a regular well-ordered crystal structure. In the CuO/(CeO2-TiO2) catalysts, the nanocrystalline structure of anatase was thermally more stable than in the CuO/TiO2 catalyst, and it persisted up to 700°C. The study of the catalytic properties of the resulting catalysts showed that the CuO/(CeO2-TiO2) catalysts with the nanocrystalline structure of anatase were characterized by the high-est activity in CO oxidation to CO2.