Study of Catalytic Activity at the CuO−CeO₂ Interface for CO Oxidation

A series of CuO/CeO2 and inverse CeO2/CuO catalysts were prepared by an incipient wetness impregnation method and tested for CO oxidation. Crystallite sizes of CeO2 and CuO were evaluated by X-ray diffraction and N2O chemisorption, as well as transmission electron microscopy. It was found that a CuO(5)/CeO2-500 catalyst with a CuO crystallite size of 4.1 nm and a CeO2(5)/CuO-500 catalyst with a CeO2 crystallite size of 4.0 nm had identical activities, indicating that the reaction may occur at the interface of CuO−CeO2. According to the turnover frequency based on CuO sites located on the CuO−CeO2 interface, the activity on the larger CuO crystallite was much higher than that on the smaller one, indicating that CuO−CeO2 catalyst for CO oxidation is structure-sensitive. The enhanced activity was ascribed to a higher density of chemisorbed CO on the active sites for the larger CuO crystallite.