Structure of Copper Oxide Species Supported on Monoclinic Zirconia

The structure of copper oxide species in Cu/ZrO 2 catalysts with monoclinic zirconia as a support was studied. The catalysts with various copper loadings (3–40 wt % of Cu) prepared by impregnation technique were characterized using N 2 O titration, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, radial distribution function (RDF) of electron density, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). It was established that the Cu/ZrO 2 catalysts contained highly dispersed CuO particles along with the large ones. Geometrical similarity between the CuO and ZrO 2 monoclinic structures favors stabilization of the highly dispersed CuO particles on the support with low specific surface area.