Abstract
Nanostructured SiO 2–CeO 2 composite materials were prepared by embedding monodispersed, inorganic colloids in ultrafine structured layers of mineral binder using a self-assembly process. Cohesive, highly concentrated CeO 2 nanoparticle arrays, characterized by a spacing in the range of a nanoparticle diameter, were synthesized. These materials possess high surface areas and are stable to temperatures up to 800 °C by virtue of surface roughness on the nanometer scale and relatively large inorganic layer thickness. Gaseous access to the CeO 2 nanoparticle surfaces was obtained through a matching of nanoparticle sizes to the thickness of the structured layers. These SiO 2–CeO 2 nanostructured materials showed very good catalytic properties as additives for reducing sulfur concentration in gasoline through fluid catalytic cracking. We demonstrate that these thermally stable, high-surface-area arrays of CeO 2 nanoparticles are best suited for the cracking of long-chain, those which commonly present the greatest difficulty, alkylthiophenes and alkylbenzothiophenes.
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