Influence of pH values in the preparation of CuO-CeO2 on its catalytic performance for the preferential oxidation of CO in excess hydrogen

CuO-CeO2 catalyst prepared with co-precipitation showed high catalytic performance for the preferential oxidation of CO in excess hydrogen (PROX). Influence of pH values in the preparation of CuO-CeO2 on its catalytic performance was investigated in this work. The CuO-CeO2 catalyst prepared at pH =13.03 had the smallest particle size (5.4 nm), the largest surface areas (138 m2/g) and the highest activity with CO conversion of 99.6% at 130 ℃. The CuO-CeO2 catalyst was characterized using BET, XRD and TPR techniques. The results showed that when the pH value of the mixed solution containing Cu and Ce species was properly adjusted, both the adsorption layers and diffusion layers of the formed colloidal particles in hydroxide precursor of CuO-CeO2 were modified, resulting in the better catalytic performance for PROX on the final CuO-CeO2 catalyst