Ceria in catalysis: From automotive applications to the water–gas shift reaction

Ceria is a crucial component of automotive catalysts, where its ability to be reduced and re‐oxidized provides oxygen storage capacity. Because of these redox properties, ceria can greatly enhance catalytic activities for a number of important reactions when it is used as a support for transition metals. For reactions that use steam as an oxidant (e.g., the water–gas‐shift reaction and steam reforming of hydrocarbons), rates for ceria‐supported metals can be several orders of magnitude higher than that for ceria or the transition metal alone. Because the redox properties of ceria are strongly dependent on treatment history and the presence of additives, there are significant opportunities for modifying catalysts based on ceria to further improve their performance. This article will review some of the contributions from my laboratory on understanding and using ceria in these applications.