Synthesizing active and durable cubic ceria catalysts(<6 nm)for fast dehydrogenation of bio-polyols to carboxylic acids coproducing green H_(2)

Dehydrogenation is considered as one of the most important industrial applications for renewable energy.Cubic ceria-based catalysts are known to display promising dehydrogenation performances in this area.Large particle size(>20 nm)and less surface defects,however,hinder further application of ceria materials.Herein,an alternative strategy involving lactic acid(LA)assisted hydrothermal method was developed to synthesize active,selective and durable cubic ceria of<6 nm for dehydrogenation reactions.Detailed studies of growth mechanism revealed that,the carboxyl and hydroxyl groups in LA molecule synergistically manipulate the morphological evolution of ceria precursors.Carboxyl groups determine the cubic shape and particle size,while hydroxyl groups promote compositional transformation of ceria precursors into CeO_(2) phases.Moreover,enhanced oxygen vacancies(Vo)on the surface of CeO_(2) were obtained owing to continuous removal of O species under reductive atmosphere.Cubic CeO_(2) catalysts synthesized by the LA-assisted method,immobilized with bimetallic PtCo clusters,exhibit a record high activity(TOF:29,241 h^(-1))and Vo-dependent synergism for dehydrogenation of bio-derived polyols at 200℃.We also found that quenching Vo defects at air atmosphere causes activity loss of PtCo/CeO_(2) catalysts.To regenerate Vo defects,a simple strategy was developed by irradiating deactivated catalysts using hernia lamp.The outcome of this work will provide new insights into manufacturing durable catalyst materials for aqueous phase dehydrogenation applications.

Electronic and geometric structure of the copper-ceria interface on Cu/CeO2 catalysts

The atomic structure of the active sites in Cu/CeO2 catalysts is intimately associated with the copper-ceria interaction. Both the shape of ceria and the loading of copper affect the chemical bonding of copper species on ceria surfaces and the electronic and geometric character of the relevant interfaces. Nanostructured ceria, including particles(polyhedra), rods, and cubes, provides anchoring sites for the copper species. The atomic arrangements and chemical properties of the(111),(110) and(100) facets, preferentially exposed depending on the shape of ceria, govern the copper-ceria interactions and in turn determine their catalytic properties. Also, the metal loading significantly influences the dispersion of copper species on ceria with a specific shape, forming copper layers, clusters, and nanoparticles. Lower copper contents result in copper monolayers and/or bilayers while higher copper loadings lead to multi-layered clusters and faceted particles. The active sites are usually generated via interactions between the copper atoms in the metal species and the oxygen vacancies on ceria, which is closely linked to the number and density of surface oxygen vacancies dominated by the shape of ceria.

Superionic Conductivity in Ceria‑Based Heterostructure Composites for Low‑Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Ceria-based heterostructure composite(CHC)has become a new stream to develop advanced low-temperature(300–600°C)solid oxide fuel cells(LTSOFCs)with excellent power outputs at 1000 mW cm−2 level.The state-ofthe-art ceria–carbonate or ceria–semiconductor heterostructure composites have made the CHC systems significantly contribute to both fundamental and applied science researches of LTSOFCs;however,a deep scientific understanding to achieve excellent fuel cell performance and high superionic conduction is still missing,which may hinder its wide application and commercialization.This review aims to establish a new fundamental strategy for superionic conduction of the CHC materials and relevant LTSOFCs.This involves energy band and built-in-field assisting superionic conduction,highlighting coupling effect among the ionic transfer,band structure and alignment impact.Furthermore,theories of ceria–carbonate,e.g.,space charge and multi-ion conduction,as well as new scientific understanding are discussed and presented for functional CHC materials.

Promotional effect of H_3PO_4 on ceria catalyst for selective catalytic reduction of NO by NH_3

A series of H3PO4-modified CeO2 samples were prepared by impregnation of CeO2 with H3PO4solution,and evaluated for the selective catalytic reduction of NOx by NH3.The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction,N2 adsorption-desorption,infrared spectroscopy,Raman spectroscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,temperature-programmed desorption of NH3,and temperature-programmed reduction of H2.The results showed that more than 80%NO conversion was achieved in the temperature range 250-550℃ over the H3PO4-CeO2 catalyst.The enhanced catalytic performance could be ascribed to the increase in acidic strength,especially Bronsted acidity,and reduction in redox properties of the CeO2 after H3PO4 modification.

Enhanced catalytic activities and selectivities in preferential oxidation of CO over ceria-promoted Au/Al_2O_3 catalysts

The preferential oxidation of CO （CO‐PROX） is a hot topic because of its importance in pro‐ton‐exchange membrane fuel cells （PEMFCs）. Au catalysts are highly active in CO oxidation. Howev‐er, their activities still need to be improved at the PEMFC operating temperatures of 80–120 ＆#176;C. In the present study, Au nanoparticles of average size 2.6 nm supported on ceria‐modified Al2O3 were synthesized and characterized using powder X‐ray diffraction, nitrogen physisorption, transmission electron and scanning transmission electron microscopies, temperature‐programmed hydrogen reduction （H2‐TPR）, Raman spectroscopy, and in situ diffuse‐reflectance infrared Fourier‐transform spectroscopy. Highly dispersed Au nanoparticles and strong structures formed by Au–support in‐teractions were the main active species on the ceria surface. The Raman and H2‐TPR results show that the improved catalytic performance of the Au catalysts can be attributed to enhanced strong metal–support interactions and the reducibility caused by ceria doping. The formation of oxygen vacancies on the catalysts increased their activities in CO‐PROX. The synthesized Au catalysts gave excellent catalytic performances with high CO conversions （＆gt;97%） and CO2 selectivities （＆gt;50%） in the temperature range 80–150 ＆#176;C.

Ceria-modified hierarchical Hβ zeolite as a robust solid acid catalyst for alkenylation of p-xylene with phenylacetylene

A ceria‐modified hierarchical Hβzeolite was prepared by a desilication‐dealumination procedure followed by ceria modification.The catalytic performance of the ceria‐modified and unmodified hierarchical Hβzeolite catalysts for alkenylation of p‐xylene with phenylacetylene was investigated.Various characterization techniques,including X‐ray diffraction,X‐ray fluorescence,nitrogen adsorption‐desorption,and NH3temperature‐programmed desorption,were used to examine the structure‐performance relationships.Our results show that the optimized ceria‐modified hierarchical Hβzeolite catalyst demonstrated higher catalytic activity,selectivity,and stability for alkenylation of p‐xylene with phenylacetylene than those of pristine Hβzeolite.This performance was attributed to more acidic sites and improved accessibility to active sites through larger pores,together with a higher mesoporous surface area and volume resulting from the hierarchical pore architecture and ceria modification.Thus,our5wt%CeO2‐Hβ‐B0.2A0.2catalyst shows great potential for producing alkenyl aromatics through solid acid catalyzed alkenylation.?2018,Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences.Published by Elsevier B.V.All rights reserved

Support effect of the supported ceria-based catalysts during NH_3-SCR reaction

To investigate how the physicochemical properties and NH3‐selective catalytic reduction(NH3‐SCR)performance of supported ceria‐based catalysts are influenced as a function of support type,a series of CeO2/SiO2,CeO2/γ‐Al2O3,CeO2/ZrO2,and CeO2/TiO2catalysts were prepared.The physicochemical properties were probed by means of X‐ray diffraction,Raman spectroscopy,Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller surface area measurements,X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy,H2‐temperature programmed reduction,and NH3‐temperature programmed desorption.Furthermore,the supported ceria‐based catalysts'catalytic performance and H2O+SO2tolerance were evaluated by the NH3‐SCR model reaction.The results indicate that out of the supported ceria‐based catalysts studied,the CeO2/γ‐Al2O3catalyst exhibits the highest catalytic activity as a result of having a high relative Ce3+/Ce4+ratio,optimum reduction behavior,and the largest total acid site concentration.Finally,the CeO2/γ‐Al2O3catalyst also presents excellent H2O+SO2tolerance during the NH3‐SCR process.

Ceria modified three-dimensionally ordered macro-porous Pt/TiO_2 catalysts for water-gas shift reaction

Three-dimensionally ordered macro-porous （3DOM） TiO2 and ceria-modified 3DOM TiO2 supported platinum catalysts were prepared with template and impregnation methods, and the resultant samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, X-ray diffractometer（XRD）, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy（HRTEM） and temperature programmed reducfion（TPR） techniques. The catalytic performances over the platinum-based catalysts were investigated for water-gas shift （WGS） reaction in a wide temperature range （180-360 ℃）. The results showed that 3DOM Pt/TiO2 catalyst exhibited obviously better catalytic performance than the corresponding non macro-porous catalyst, owing to the macro-porous structure favoring mass transfer. Addition of celia into 3DOM Pt/TiO2 led to improvement of catalytic activity. TPR and HRTEM results showed that the interaction existed between ceria and titanium oxide and addition of ceria promoted the reducibility of platinum oxide and TiO2 on the interface of platinum and TiO2 particles, which contributed to high activity of the celia modified catalysts. The results indicated that ceria-modified 3DOM Pt/TiO2 was a promising candidate of fuel cell oriented WGS catalyst.

Preparation and CO conversion activity of ceria nanotubes by carbon nanotubes templating method

Ceria nanotubes with high CO conversion activity by means of carbon nanotubes as removable templates in the simple liquid phase process were fabricated under moderate conditions. The pristine CNTs were first pretreated by refluxing in a 30% nitric acid solution at 140 ℃ for 24 h, then dispersed in an ethanolic Ce（NO3）3.6H2O solution with ultrasonic radiation at room temperature for 1 h. Under vigorous stirring, NaOH solution was added drop by drop into the above ethanolic solution until the pH value was 10. The product was collected and repeatedly washed with ethanol and on drying at 60 ℃, the CeO2/CNT composites were obtained. Then, the as-prepared composites were heated at 450 ℃ in an air atmosphere for 30 min to remove CNTs. The ceria nanotubes were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction （XRD）, Transmission Electron Microscopy （TEM）, and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectrum （XPS）. The results showed that the ceria nanotubes were polycrystalline face-centered cubic phase and were composed of lots of dense cefia nanoparficles. The diameter of cefia nanotubes was about 40-50 nm. Catalytic activity of the product for CO oxidation was carded out at the region of 30-300 ℃ in a U-shaped quartz reactor with feeding about 0.15 g of the catalyst, which was loaded on Al2O3 carder. The inlet gas composition was 1.0% CO and 28% O2 with N2 as balance, and the rate of flow was kept at 40 ml/min. The catalytic products were analyzed by gas chromatography. The as-repared CeO2 nanotubes showed higher CO oxidation activity, which indicated that the morphology of ceria products affected the catalytic performance. The ceria nanotubes supported on Al2O3 demonstrated that conversion temperature for CO oxidation to CO2 was lower than that for bulk catalysts.

Effect of samarium doped ceria nanoparticles impregnation on the performance of anode supported SOFC with(Pr_(0.7)Ca_(0.3))_(0.9)MnO_(3-δ) cathode

Solid oxide fuel cell(SOFC) electrodes,after a high temperature sintering,may be impregnated to deposit nanoparticles within their pores to enhance the catalytic function.Samarium doped CeO2(SDC) nanoparticles were infiltrated into(Pr0.7Ca0.3)0.9MnO3-δ(PCM) cathode of anode supported SOFC cells.The cell with 2.6 mg/cm2 SDC impregnated in cathode showed the maximum power density of 580 mW/cm2 compared with 310 mW/cm2 of the cell without impregnation at 850 °C.The cells were also characterized with the impeda...

Determining number of sites on ceria stabilizing single atoms via metal nanoparticle redispersion

Single atom catalysts have recently attracted interest due to their maximization of the utilization of expensive noble metals as well as their unique catalytic properties. Based on its surface atomic properties, CeO2 is one of the most common supports for stabilizing single metal atoms. Many single atom catalysts are limited in their metal contents by the formation of metal nanoparticles once the catalyst support capacity for single atoms has been exceeded. Currently, there are no direct measurements to determine the capacity of a support to stabilize single atoms. In this work we develop a nanoparticle-based technique that allows for quantification of that capacity by redispersing Ru nanoparticles into single atoms and taking advantage of the different catalytic properties of Ru single atoms and nanoparticles in the CO2 hydrogenation reaction. This method avoids complications in metal loading caused by counterions in incipient wetness impregnation and can eventually be applied to a variety of different metals. Results using this technique follow trends in oxygen vacancy concentration and surface oxygen content and show promise as a new method for quantifying support single atom stabilization capacity.

Redox behavior of gold supported on ceria and ceria-zirconia based catalysts

A series of gold-based catalysts were prepared by deposition precipitation or incipient wetness impregnation on CexZ1-xO2 solid solutions （0.28≤x≤1.00）. The morphological and structural characterization of these catalysts were carried out with X-ray diffraction, trans- mission electron microscopy （TEM） analysis and physical adsorption technique, and their redox properties were studied by temperature programmed reduction using both H2 and CO as probe molecules. Two cycles of oxidation/reduction were carried out in order to evaluate the effects of redox aging and gold sintering on the oxygen exchange capability. As observed with other noble metals, gold enhanced and promoted the ceria reduction at lower temperatures. Reduction by CO was shown to be dependent on the fine dispersion of gold and to be nega- tively affected by the ageing process more than reduction with hydrogen. This might have implications in reactions like water gas shift and CO-PROX which involve CO as a main reactant.

Preparation of Fine Spherical Particle Sized Ceria by Precipitation Method with Ammonium Bicarbonate

Fine spherical particle sized ceria (CeO_2) was prepared by homogeneous precipitation method with ammonium bicarbonate as precipitant. The prepared CeO_2 has the primary particle size of 10～50 nm when calcined between 400～700 ℃ analyzed by XRD and the aggregated particle size is about 300 nm measured by LASER particle sizer. SEM, TG-DTA and Zeta-potential analyzer were employed individually to study the morphology and the formation of CeO_2 product. It was found that excess NH_4NO_3 can serve as an sphericallization agent to prepare spherical CeO_2 powder by precipitation method.

Influence of Nanometric Ceria Coating on Oxidation Behavior of Chromium at 900 ℃

Isothermal and cyclic oxidation behaviors of chromium samples with and without nanometric CeO2 coating were studied at 900℃ in air. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, and high-resolution electron microscopy （HREM） were used to examine the morphology and microstructure of the oxide film. It was found that ceria coating greatly improved the oxidation resistance of Cr both in isothermal and cyclic oxidizing experiments. Acoustic emission （AE） technique was used in situ to monitor the cracking and spalling of oxide film, and AE signals were analyzed in time-domain and number-domain according to related oxide fracture model. Laser Raman spectrometer was also used to study the stress of oxide film formed on Cr with and without ceria. The improvement in oxidation resistance of chromium is believed mainly due to that ceria greatly reduced the growth speed and grain size of Cr2O3. This fine grained Cr2O3 oxide film might have better high temperature plasticity and could relieve parts of the compressive stress by means of creeping and maintained ridge character and relatively lower level of internal stress. Meanwhile, ceria application reduced the size and number of interfacial defects, remarkably enhanced the adhesive property of Cr2O3 oxide scale formed on Cr substrate.

Solar chemical looping reforming of methane combined with isothermal H2O/CO2 splitting using ceria oxygen carrier for syngas production

The chemical looping reforming of methane through the nonstoichiometric ceria redox cycle(CeO2/CeO2-δ) has been experimentally investigated in a directly irradiated solar reactor to convert both solar energy and methane to syngas in the temperature range 900–1050 °C. Experiments were carried out with different ceria shapes via two-step redox cycling composed of endothermic partial reduction of ceria with methane and complete exothermic re-oxidation of reduced ceria with H2 O/CO2 at the same operating temperature, thereby demonstrating the capability to operate the cycle isothermally. A parametric study considering different ceria macrostructure variants(ceria packed powder, ceria packed powder mixed with inert Al2 O3 particles, and ceria reticulated porous foam) and operating parameters(methane flow-rate, reduction temperature, or sintering temperature) was conducted in order to unravel their impact on the bed-averaged oxygen non-stoichiometry(δ), syngas yield, methane conversion, and solar reactor performance. The ceria cycling stability was also experimentally investigated to demonstrate repeatable syngas production by alternating the flow between CH4 and H2 O(or CO2). A decrease in sintering temperature of the ceria foam was beneficial for increasing syngas selectivity, methane conversion,and reactor performance. Increasing both CH4 concentration and reduction temperature enhanced δ with the maximum value up to 0.41 but concomitantly favored CH4 cracking reaction. The ceria reticulated porous foam showed better performance in terms of effective heat transfer, due to volumetric absorption of concentrated solar radiation and uniform heating with lower solar power consumption, thereby promoting the solar-to-fuel energy conversion efficiency that reached up to 5.60%. The energy upgrade factor achieved during cycle was up to 1.19. Stable patterns in the δ and syngas yield for consecutive cycles with the ceria foam validated material performance stability.

Research on Calcium Doped Ceria Used in Intermediate-Temperature SOFCs Anodes

As a mixed ion-electronic conductor, doped ceria, especially rare earth doped ceria, were used as anodes or components of anodes in SOFCs. In this work, calcium doped ceria （CCO） was synthesized to be used in intermediate-temperature SOFCs （IT-SOFCs） anodes in order to reduce the cost of anode-supported SOFCs. Electrical conductivity of 20% calcium doped ceria （20CCO） reached 0.209 S·cm^-1 in hydrogen at 850 ℃, and 0.041 S·cm^-1 in air at 800℃, which is about 0.04 S·cm^-1 lower than that of conventional samaria-doped ceria （0.079 S·cm^-1）. Electrochemical performance of Ni-20CCO cermet as anode was investigated using a fuel cell with 35μm-thick SDC electrolyte and Sm0.5Sr0.5 Co-SDC cathode. Maximum power density was 623 mW·cm^-2 under humidified （3% H2O） hydrogen at 650 ℃, inferring high catalytic activity of the Ni-20CCO anode.

A review of the interactions between ceria and H2 and the applications to selective hydrogenation of alkynes

Cerium oxide(ceria) has found a wide variety of applications in catalysis including as a catalyst, a modifier, or a support, largely thanks to its robust redox properties and versatile acid-base function. While it is often utilized for oxidation reactions, ceria has recently attracted intense research interest for its unusual ability to selectively hydrogenate alkynes to alkenes. The intriguing hydrogenation ability of ceria has sparked renewed research efforts to understand how pure ceria works as a hydrogenation catalyst. In this review, recent advances in both experimental and computational studies of ceria are summarized, focusing on the interaction of ceria with H2 and in hydrogenation reactions. Significant insights from various studies including in situ spectroscopy/microscopy and theoretic modeling of ceria in hydrogen-involved reactions are discussed, which shed light on the origin of the hydrogenation ability of ceria and the reaction mechanisms involved in ceria-catalyzed alkyne hydrogenation. Ways to further improve both the mechanistic understanding and catalytic performance of ceria-based materials for hydrogenation reactions are proposed at the end in the summary and outlook section.

Combination Therapy with LXW7 and Ceria Nanoparticles Protects against Acute Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Rats

Ischemia/reperfusion is known to greatly increase oxidative stress in the penumbra,which results in brain damage.Integrinαvβ3 is selectively up-regulated with ischemic injury to the brain and remains elevated throughout reperfusion.We determined whether or not a new compound biotinylated-LXW7-ceria nanoparticle(Ce NP)(b LXW7-Ce NP)plays a role in brain protection in the rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion and shows better effects than Ce NPs alone in improving the outcomes of focal oxidative stress and apoptosis more effectively.Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to focal cerebral ischemia for 2 h followed by a 24-h reperfusion.Drug treatment was intravenously administered via the caudal vein 1 h after occlusion.Rats were randomly divided into the following 4 groups:b LXW7-Ce NP treatment group(0.5 mg/kg);Ce NP treatment group(0.5 mg/kg);control saline group;and sham group.Brains were harvested 24 h after reperfusion,and the neurologic deficit scores,infarction volume,blood-brain barrier(BBB)disruption,and the level of oxidative stress and apoptosis were determined.Results showed that the b LXW7-Ce NP and Ce NP treatments could improve neurologic deficit scores,infarction volume,BBB disruption,and the level of oxidative stress and apoptosis.Compound b LXW7-Ce NP treatment exhibited better effects than Ce Np treatment and showed remarkable statistical differences in the infarction volume,the degree of BBB breakdown,the apoptosis and oxidative stress,apart from neurologic deficit scores.Thus,we concluded that b LXW7-Ce NP protects against acute cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.BLXW7,as a ligand of integrinαvβ3,may be able to effectively localize the anti-oxidant Ce NPs to the ischemic penumbra region,which may provide more adequate opportunities for Ce NPs to exert anti-oxidative stress effects and subsequently reduce apoptosis in acute cerebral ischemia/reperfusion.

Renewable hydrogen production from steam reforming of glycerol(SRG)over ceria-modified Y-alumina supported Ni catalyst

Excess crude glycerol derived as a by-product from biodiesel industry prompts the need to valorise glycerol to value-added chemicals.In this context,catalytic steam reforming of glycerol(SRG) was proposed as a promising and sustainable alternative for producing renewable hydrogen(H2).Herein,the development of nickel(Ni) supported on ceria-modified mesoporous γ-alumina(γ-Al2 O3) catalysts and their applications in catalytic SRG(at550-750℃ atmospheric pressure and weight hourly space velocity,WHSV,of 44,122 ml·g^-1·h^-1(STP)) is presented.Properties of the developed catalysts were characterised using many technique s.The findings show that ceria modification improved Ni dispersion on γ-Al2 O3 catalyst support with highly active small Ni particles,which led to a remarkable catalytic performance with the total glycerol conversion(ca.99%),glycerol conversion into gaseous products(ca.77%) and H2 yield(ca.62%).The formation rate for H2 production(14.4 ×10^(-5)mol·s^-1·g^-1, TOF(H2)=3412 s^-1) was significantly improved with the Ni@12 Ce-Al2 O3 catalyst,representing nearly a 2-fold increase compared with that of the conventional Ni@AI2 O3 catalyst.In addition,the developed catalyst also exhibited comparatively high stability(for 12 h) and coke resistance ability.

Synthesis and characterization of ceria nanoparticles by complex-precipitation route

Ceria(CeO_(2))nanoparticles were successfully synthesized via a simple complex-precipitation route that employs cerium chloride as cerium source and citric acid as precipitant.The elemental analysis results of carbon,hydrogen,oxygen,and cerium in the precursors were calculated,and the results revealed that the precursors were composed of Ce(OH)_(3),Ce(H_(2)Cit)_(3),or CeCit.X-ray diffraction analysis showed that all ceria nanoparticles had a face-centered cubic structure.With the molar ratio of citric acid to Ce^(3)+(n)of 0.25 and pH of 5.5,the specific surface area of the sample reached the maximum value of 83.17 m^(2)/g.Ceria nanoparticles were observed by scanning electron microscopy.Selected area electron diffraction patterns of several samples were obtained by transmission electron microscopy,and the crystal plane spacing of each low-exponent crystal plane was calculated.The ultraviolet(UV)–visible transmittance curve showed that ceria can absorb UV light and pass through visible light.Among all samples,the minimum average transmittance of ultraviolet radiation a(UVA)was 4.42%,and that of ultraviolet radiation b(UVB)was 1.56%.