Unusual physical and chemical properties of Cu in Ce(1-x)Cu(x)O(2) oxides

The structural and electronic properties of Ce(1-x)Cu(x)O(2) nano systems prepared by a reverse microemulsion method were characterized with synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and density functional calculations. The Cu atoms embedded in ceria had an oxidation state higher than those of the cations in Cu(2)O or CuO. The lattice of the Ce(1)(-x)Cu(x)O(2) systems still adopted a fluorite-type structure, but it was highly distorted with multiple cation-oxygen distances with respect to the single cation-oxygen bond distance seen in pure ceria. The doping of CeO(2) with copper introduced a large strain into the oxide lattice and favored the formation of O vacancies, leading to a Ce(1-x)Cu(x)O(2-y) stoichiometry for our materials. Cu approached the planar geometry characteristic of Cu(II) oxides, but with a strongly perturbed local order. The chemical activities of the Ce(1-x)Cu(x)O(2) nanoparticles were tested using the reactions with H(2) and O(2) as probes. During the reduction in hydrogen, an induction time was observed and became shorter after raising the reaction temperature. The fraction of copper that could be reduced in the Ce(1-x)Cu(x)O(2) oxides also depended strongly on the reaction temperature. A comparison with data for the reduction of pure copper oxides indicated that the copper embedded in ceria was much more difficult to reduce. The reduction of the Ce(1-x)Cu(x)O(2) nanoparticles was rather reversible, without the generation of a significant amount of CuO or Cu(2)O phases during reoxidation. This reversible process demonstrates the unusual structural and chemical properties of the Cu-doped ceria materials.     

The synergistic effects of the Cu-CeO2(111) catalysts on the adsorption and dissociation of water molecules

The interaction of water molecules with the Cu-CeO(2)(111) catalyst (Cu/CeO(2) and Cu(0.08)Ce(0.92)O(2)) is studied systematically by using the DFT+U method. Although both molecular and dissociative adsorption states of water are observed on all the considered Cu-CeO(2)(111) systems, the dissociation is preferable thermodynamically. Furthermore, the dissociation of water molecule relates to the geometric structure (e.g. whether or not there are oxygen vacancies; whether or not the reduced substrate retains a fluorite structure) and the electronic structure (e.g. whether or not there is reduced cerium, Ce(3+)) of the substrate.In addition, the adsorption of water molecules induces variations of the electronic structure of the substrate, especially for Cu/CeO(2-x)(111)-B (a Cu atom adsorbed symmetrically above the vacancy of the reduced ceria) and highly reduced Cu(0.08)Ce(0.92)O(2)(111), i.e. the Cu(0.08)Ce(0.92)O(2-x)(111)-h. The variations of electronic structure promote the dissociation of water for the highly reduced system Cu(0.08)Ce(0.92)O(2-x)(111)-h. More importantly, the improvement of WGS reaction by Cu-ceria is expected to be by the associative route through different intermediates.     

Thermodynamic, electronic and structural properties of Cu/CeO2 surfaces and interfaces from first-principles DFT+U calculations

The thermodynamic, structural and electronic properties of Cu-CeO(2) (ceria) surfaces and interfaces are investigated by means of density functional theory (DFT+U) calculations. We focus on model systems consisting of Cu atoms (i) supported by stoichiometric and reduced CeO(2) (111) surfaces, (ii) dispersed as substitutional solid solution at the same surface, as well as on (iii) the extended Cu(111)/CeO(2)(111) interface. Extensive charge reorganization at the metal-oxide contact is predicted for ceria-supported Cu adatoms and nanoparticles, leading to Cu oxidation, ceria reduction, and interfacial Ce(3+) ions. The calculated thermodynamics predict that Cu adatoms on stoichiometric surfaces are more stable than on O vacancies of reduced surfaces at all temperatures and pressures relevant for catalytic applications, even in extremely reducing chemical environments. This suggests that supported Cu nanoparticles do not nucleate at surface O vacancies of the oxide, at variance with many other metal/ceria systems. In oxidizing conditions, the solid solutions are shown to be more stable than the supported systems. Substitutional Cu ions form characteristic CuO(4) units. These promote an easy and reversible O release without the reduction of Ce ions. The study of the extended CeO(2)(111)/Cu(111) interface predicts the full reduction of the interfacial ceria trilayer. Cu nanoparticles supported by ceria are proposed to lie above a subsurface layer of Ce(3+) ions that extends up to the perimeter of the metal-oxide interface.     

Reaction of SO2 with AuCeO2(111): importance of O vacancies in the activation of gold

Synchrotron-based high-resolution photoemission was used to study the adsorption and chemistry of SO(2) on AuCeO(2)(111) and AuO(x)CeO(2) surfaces. The heat of adsorption of the molecule on Au nanoparticles supported on stoichiometric CeO(2)(111) was 4-7 kcalmol larger than on Au(111). However, there was negligible dissociation of SO(2) on the AuCeO(2)(111) surfaces. The full decomposition of SO(2) was observed only after introducing O vacancies in the ceria support. AuO(x)CeO(2) surfaces were found to be much less chemically active than AuCeO(2)(111) or AuCeO(2-x)(111) surfaces. The active sites in {Au + AuO(x)}ceria catalysts should involve pure gold nanoparticles in contact with O vacancies.     

Oxidising CO to CO2 using ceria nanoparticles

We calculate, using simulated amorphisation and recrystallisation (A&R), that ceria (CeO2) nanoparticles, about 8 nm in diameter, comprise a high concentration of labile surface oxygen species, which we suggest will help promote the oxidation of CO to CO2. In particular, the ceria nanoparticle contains a high proportion of reactive {100} surfaces, surface steps and corner sites. When reduced to CeO1.95, the associated Ce3+ species and oxygen vacancies decorate step, corner and {100} sites in addition to plateau positions on {111}. The energetics of CO oxidation to CO2, catalysed by a ceria nanoparticle, is calculated to be lower compared with CO oxidation associated with the lowest energy surface (i.e. CeO2(111)) of the corresponding 'bulk' material. Our calculated morphologies for the ceria nanoparticles are in accord with experiment.     

Effects of deposited Pt particles on the reducibility of CeO2(111)

The interaction of Pt particles with the regular CeO(2)(111) surface has been studied using Pt(8) clusters as representative examples. The atomic and electronic structure of the resulting model systems have been obtained through periodic spin-polarized density functional calculations using the PW91 exchange-correlation potential corrected with the inclusion of a Hubbard U parameter. The focus is on the effect of the metal-support interaction on the surface reducibility of ceria. Several initial geometries and orientations of Pt(8) with respect to the ceria substrate have been explored. It has been found that deposition of Pt(8) over the ceria surface results in spontaneous oxidation of the supported particle with a concomitant reduction of up to two Ce(4+) cations to Ce(3+). Oxygen vacancy formation on the CeO(2)(111) surface and oxygen spillover to the adsorbed particle have also been considered. The presence of the supported Pt(8) particles has a rather small effect (～0.2 eV) on the O vacancy formation energy. However, it is predicted that the spillover of atomic oxygen from the substrate to the metal particle greatly facilitates the formation of oxygen vacancies: the calculated energy required to transfer an oxygen atom from the CeO(2)(111) surface to the supported Pt(8) particle is only 1.00 eV, i.e. considerably smaller than 2.25 eV necessary to form an oxygen vacancy on the bare regular ceria surface. This strongly suggests that the propensity of ceria systems to store and release oxygen is directly affected by the presence of supported Pt particles.     

First-principles local density approximation (generalized gradient approximation) +U study of catalytic CenOm clusters: U value differs from bulk

Ceria possesses strong catalytic properties for CONO(x) removal and H(2) production. Clusters often show more intriguing functionalities than their bulk counterparts. Here, the geometric and electronic structures of Ce(n)O(m) (n=1-4,m=2n-1,2n) clusters are studied for the first time using the projected augmented wave method in density functional theory with detailed assessment of the exchange-correlation functional and the Hubbard parameter U. We note that the U value strongly affects the electronic structures of the oxygen-deficient Ce(n)O(2n-1) clusters, though less so on the stoichiometric Ce(n)O(2n). Furthermore, the local density approximation (LDA)+U method is more accurate than the generalized gradient approximation+U in describing the localization of the 4f electrons of the Ce(n)O(m) clusters. The calculated vibration frequency of the CeO molecule with the LDA+U (U=4 eV) is 818.4 cm(-1), in close agreement with experimental values of 820-825 cm(-1) for the low lying states. Different optimal U values were noted for the ceria cluster (4 eV) and its bulk (6 eV), due to quantum-size and geometric effects. The largely reduced formation energy of an oxygen vacancy indicates that the catalytic effect of the Ce(n)O(m) clusters are far greater than bulk CeO(2).     

A theoretic insight into the catalytic activity promotion of CeO2 surfaces by Mn doping

In this paper, we investigated the primary reduction and oxygen replenishing processes over Mn substitutionally doped CeO(2)(111) surfaces by density functional theory with the on-site Coulomb correction (DFT + U). The results indicated that Mn doping could make the surface much more reducible and the adsorbed O(2) could be effectively activated to form superoxo (O(2)(-)) and/or peroxo species (O(2)(2-)). The Mn doping induced the Mn 3d-O 2p gap state instead of Ce 4f acting as an electrons acceptor and donor during the first oxygen vacancy formation and O(2) replenishing, which helped to lower the formation energy of the first and second oxygen vacancies to -0.46 eV and 1.40 eV, respectively. In contrast, the formation energy of a single oxygen vacancy in the pure ceria surface was 2.08 eV and only peroxo species were identified as the O(2) molecule adsorbed. Our work provides a theoretical and electronic insight into the catalytic redox processes of Mn doped ceria surfaces, which may help to understand the enhanced catalytic performances of MnO(x)-CeO(2) oxides, as reported in previous experimental works.     

Oxygen vacancy formation energy in Pd-doped ceria: a DFT+U study

Using the DFT+U method, i.e., first principles density functional theory calculations with the inclusion of on-site Coulomb interaction, the effects of Pd doping on the O vacancy formation energy (E(vac)) in CeO(2) has been studied. We find that E(vac) is lowered from 3.0 eV in undoped ceria to 0.6 eV in the Pd-doped compound. Much of this decrease can be attributed to emerging Pd-induced gap states above the valence band and below the empty Ce 4f states. These localized defect states involve the Pd ion and its nearest neighbors, which are also the main acceptors of the extra electrons left on reduction. The effect of the Pd dopant on the geometric structure is very modest for CeO(2) but considerable for CeO(2-x).     

过渡金属掺杂铈中晶格氧的活化

采用密度泛函理论计算研究了在铈表面掺杂的过渡金属(TM)离子对表面晶格氧原子活化的影响.为此,测定了经TM离子修饰的CeO2最稳定(111)表面终端的结构和稳定性.除了保持八面体氧配位的锆和铂掺杂剂外, TM掺杂剂在取代表面Ce离子时更倾向于正方形平面配位.除了Pt(1.14 eV)和Zr(正方形平面配位不稳定)外,所有TM掺杂剂的表面结构从八面体到正方形平面都很容易.通常,四价TM阳离子的离子半径比Ce^4+的小得多,从而导致了显著的拉伸应变晶格,并解释了氧空位形成能量的降低.除Zr外,当产生一个氧空位时,优先形成正方形平面结构.热力学分析表明, TM掺杂CeO2表面在典型环境催化条件下存在氧缺陷.一个具有实际意义的例子是锆掺杂CeO2(111)中的晶格氧容易活化,从而有利于CO氧化.研究结果强调了晶格氧活化的本质和TM掺杂剂在TM-铈固溶催化剂中的优选位置.     

Effects of Zr doping on stoichiometric and reduced ceria: a first-principles study

The Zr doping in CeO(2) may change the reduction properties and therefore the redox properties of CeO(2). Using first-principles density functional theory with the inclusion of on-site Coulomb interaction for a 96-atom supercell, these effects are studied by comparing the differences in atomic structures, electronic structures, and reduction energies of the doped CeO(2) and those of the nondoped CeO(2). It is found that (1) Zr doping of the ceria structure results in important modifications involving nonequivalent O atoms; (2) the oxygen anions (still four-coordinated) next to the doping center show considerably lower reduction energies (by 0.6 eV) and larger displacements ("higher mobilities"); (3) an O vacancy is most easily created close to the Zr centers, therefore the Zr-doping centers might serve as nucleation centers for vacancy clustering; and (4) the electrons left by the released oxygen localize on two Ce cations neighboring the vacancy, which results in the reduction of two Ce(4+) ions.     

The behavior of mixed-metal oxides: physical and chemical properties of bulk Ce1-xTbxO2 and nanoparticles of Ce1-xTbxOy

The physical and chemical properties of bulk Ce(1-x)Tb(x)O(2) and Ce(1-x)Tb(x)O(y) nanoparticles (xTb exchange nor the introduction of oxygen vacancies in Ce(1-x)Tb(x)O(y) significantly affect the charge on the Ce cations. In contrast, the O K-edge and Tb L(III)-edge XANES spectra for Ce(1-x)Tb(x)O(y) nanoparticles show substantial changes with respect to the corresponding spectra of Ce and Tb single oxide references. The Ce(0.5)Tb(0.5)O(y) compounds exhibit a much larger Tb(3+)/Tb(4+) ratio than TbO(1.7). A comparison with the properties of Ce(1-x)Zr(x)O(y) and Ce(1-x)Ca(x)O(y) shows important differences in the charge distribution, the magnitude of the dopant induced strain in the oxide lattice, and a superior behavior in the case of the Ce(1-x)Tb(x)O(y) systems. The Tb-containing oxides combine stability at high temperature against phase segregation and a reasonable concentration of O vacancies, making them attractive for chemical and catalytic applications.     

Facile synthesis of 3D flowerlike CeO2 microspheres under mild condition with high catalytic performance for CO oxidation

Three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical flowerlike CeO(2) microspheres with 5-8μm diameter were hydrothermally synthesized by using multiple surfactants at very mild condition (100°C) and characterized by XRD, low-temperature N(2) adsorption, SEM, TEM, TG, FT-IR, and UV-vis spectroscopies. The results show that the flowerlike ceria prepared with the co-surfactant of sodium dodecyl sulfonic and PEG 600 possesses multilevel pore structure and low band gap energy. A possible formation mechanism of flowerlike ceria is that 3D flowerlike microspheres are assembled by 1D nanowires formed through an aggregation of 0D nanoparticles. Based on the unique structure and morphology, the prepared flowerlike CeO(2) exhibits more amount of surface capping oxygen, higher concentrations of Ce(3+) and O vacancy, and more (100) lattice planes, resulting in its higher catalytic activity for CO oxidation than general bulk ceria. Furthermore, photoluminescence property testing shows that flowerlike CeO(2) exhibits the violet blue light emission with a blue shift, because of the quantum size effect, differing from general ceria.     

Ce(IV) complexes with donor-functionalized alkoxide ligands: improved precursors for chemical vapor deposition of CeO2

Thin films of ceria (CeO(2)) have many applications, and their synthesis by liquid-injection MOCVD (metal-organic chemical vapor deposition) or ALD (atomic layer deposition) requires volatile precursor compounds. Here we report the synthesis of a series of homoleptic and heteroleptic Ce(IV) complexes with donor-functionalized alkoxide ligands mmp (1-methoxy-2-methylpropan-2-olate), dmap (1-(dimethylamino)propan-2-olate), and dmop (2-(4,4-dimethyl-4,5-dihydrooxazol-2-yl)propan-2-olate) and their potential as precursors for MOCVD and ALD of CeO(2). New complexes were synthesized by alcohol exchange reactions with [Ce(OBu(t))(4)]. [Ce(mmp)(4)] and [Ce(dmap)(4)] were both found to be excellent precursors for liquid-injection MOCVD of CeO(2), depositing high purity thin films with very low carbon contamination, and both have a large temperature window for diffusion controlled growth (350-600 °C for [Ce(mmp)(4)]; 300-600 °C for [Ce(dmap)(4)]). [Ce(mmp)(4)] is also an excellent precursor for liquid-injection ALD of CeO(2) using H(2)O as oxygen source and demonstrates self-limiting growth from 150 to 350 °C. [Ce(dmap)(4)] has lower thermal stability than [Ce(mmp)(4)] and does not show self-limiting growth in ALD. Heteroleptic complexes show a tendency to undergo ligand redistribution reactions to form mixtures in solution and are unsuitable as precursors for liquid-injection CVD.     

Sonochemical synthesis of Ce(1-x)Fe(x)O(2-δ) (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.45) and Ce(0.65)Fe(0.33)Pd(0.02)O(2-δ) nanocrystallites: oxygen storage material, CO oxidation and water gas shift catalyst

Nanocrystalline Ce(1-x)Fe(x)O(2-δ) (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.45) and Ce(0.65)Fe(0.33)Pd(0.02)O(2-δ) of ~4 nm sizes were synthesized by a sonochemical method using diethyletriamine (DETA) as a complexing agent. Compounds were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Ce(1-x)Fe(x)O(2-δ) (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.45) and Ce(0.65)Fe(0.33)Pd(0.02)O(2-δ) crystallize in fluorite structure where Fe is in +3, Ce is in +4 and Pd is in +2 oxidation state. Due to substitution of smaller Fe(3+) ion in CeO(2), lattice oxygen is activated and 33% Fe substituted CeO(2)i.e. Ce(0.67)Fe(0.33)O(1.835) reversibly releases 0.31[O] up to 600 °C which is higher or comparable to the oxygen storage capacity of CeO(2)-ZrO(2) based solid solutions (Catal. Today 2002, 74, 225-234). Due to interaction of redox potentials of Pd(2+/0)(0.89 V) and Fe(3+/2+) (0.77 V) with Ce(4+/3+) (1.61 V), Pd ion accelerates the electron transfer from Fe(2+) to Ce(4+) in Ce(0.65)Fe(0.33)Pd(0.02)O(1.815), making it a high oxygen storage material as well as a highly active catalyst for CO oxidation and water gas shift reaction. The activation energy for CO oxidation with Ce(0.65)Fe(0.33)Pd(0.02)O(1.815) is found to be as low as 38 kJ mol(-1). Ce(0.67)Fe(0.33)O(1.835) and Ce(0.65)Fe(0.33)Pd(0.02)O(1.815) have also shown high activity for the water gas shift reaction. CO conversion to CO(2) is 100% H(2) specific with these catalysts and conversion rate was found to be as high 27.2 μmoles g(-1) s(-1) and the activation energy was found to be 46.4 kJ mol(-1) for Ce(0.65)Fe(0.33)Pd(0.02)O(1.815).     

铈基与钴基Co3O4-CeO2氧载体上甲烷化学链转化特性: 产物选择性控制

采用水热法制备了Co₃O₄/CeO₂(x)[x为钴铈原子摩尔比n(Co):n(Ce)=6:49:1]和Ce_1-yCo_yO_2-δ(y=0.10.4)2个系列复合氧化物, 并表征了材料的物理化学性质, 考察了这些氧化物作为氧载体参与甲烷化学链转化(化学链燃烧和化学链部分氧化)的反应性能. 结果表明, 2类复合氧化物的甲烷反应活性均明显优于单一氧化物CeO₂或Co₃O₄, 但2类氧载体上的甲烷反应产物的选择性具有明显差异. Ce_1-yCo_yO_2-δ氧载体形成了Ce-Co-O固溶体, 储氧能力明显增强, 体相晶格氧迁移速率与甲烷活化速率匹配较好, 甲烷反应产物以CO和H₂的合成气为主, 有利于甲烷的化学链部分氧化. Co₃O₄/CeO₂(x)氧载体中CeO₂与Co₃O₄之间的相互作用改善了材料的储氧能力和氧化活性, 其与甲烷反应时主要生成CO₂, 有利于甲烷化学链燃烧. 连续性化学链循环实验表明, 2类氧载体均具有较好的再生性能和循环稳定性.     

SOx on ceria from adsorbed SO2

Results from first-principles calculations present a rather clear picture of the interaction of SO(2) with unreduced and partially reduced (111) and (110) surfaces of ceria. The Ce(3+)∕Ce(4+) redox couple, together with many oxidation states of S, give rise to a multitude of SO(x) species, with oxidation states from +III to +VI. SO(2) adsorbs either as a molecule or attaches via its S-atom to one or two surface oxygens to form sulfite (SO(3)(2-)) and sulfate (SO(4)(2-)) species, forming new S-O bonds but never any S-Ce bonds. Molecular adsorption is found on the (111) surface. SO(3)(2-) structures are found on both the (111) and (110) surfaces of both stoichiometric and partially reduced ceria. SO(4)(2-) structures are observed on the (110) surface together with the formation of two reduced Ce(3+) surface cations. SO(2) can also partially heal the ceria oxygen vacancies by weakening a S-O bond, when significant electron transfer from the surface (Ce4f) into the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of the SO(2) adsorbate takes place and oxidizes the surface Ce(3+) cations. Furthermore, we propose a mechanism that could lead to monodentate sulfate formation at the (111) surface.     

铈基氧化物催化剂上氧物种的EPR研究

选择ＣｅＯ２、２０％（ｍｏｌ）Ｃｅ／Ｓｒ及ＳｒＣＯ３３种甲烷氧化偶联催化剂，进行了吸附氧的ＥＰＲ及骤冷ＥＰＲ研究，对氧物种的形式、吸附方式及在反应中的作用进行了深入讨论．实验发现，氧化铈及复合催化剂很容易吸附氧分子产生Ｏ２－超氧离子，而碳酸锶表面不利于Ｏ－２的生成．Ｏ－２可以不同方式吸附于催化剂表面，不同方式吸附的Ｏ－２具有不同的氧化能力和稳定性．不同温度下骤冷可以在复合催化剂上得到几乎相同强度的Ｏ－２ＥＰＲ信号，因此Ｏ－２可能不是甲烷的选择活化中心，而是在反应条件下转化成了Ｏ２－２或Ｏ－选择性物种．复合催化剂中的ＳｒＣＯ３，对ＣｅＯ２中氧的流动性及产生氧中间体的能力起到了调节作用，抑制了过氧化．     

松散接触下 Au-Ce强相互作用对 Au/CeO2/3DOM Al2O3催化剂催化柴油炭烟燃烧活性的影响

与汽油发动机相比,柴油发动机具有热效率高、CO2排放低、寿命长、续航距离远和经济性好等优点,可大大缓解能源短缺,降低 CO2排放量.因此,机动车柴油化是当前发展趋势.然而,柴油发动机在使用过程中会排放大量炭烟颗粒物,对人体危害极大.因此,控制炭烟颗粒排放成为环境催化研究的重点之一.
　　炭烟颗粒物催化燃烧反应是典型的固(炭烟颗粒)-固(催化剂)-气(O2)多相催化反应.三维有序大孔氧化物(3DOM)具有大孔径和内部贯通的孔道结构,能有效提高炭烟颗粒与催化活性中心的接触性能.同时,纳米 Au颗粒在大孔氧化物表面的负载可有效提高催化剂本征活性,但纳米 Au颗粒催化剂热稳定性较差. CeO2具有较好的储放氧性能,可与贵金属活性组分发生相互作用,从而提高贵金属纳米颗粒的分散度和稳定性.因此,本文从柴油炭烟颗粒物催化燃烧反应本质出发,设计制备了高炭烟燃烧催化活性的3DOM氧化物担载 Au基催化剂,研究了 Au与 CeO2强相互作用对炭烟燃烧活性的影响.
　　采用胶体晶体模板法制备3DOM Al2O3载体,由微孔膜氨沉淀法制备 CeO2/3DOM Al2O3催化剂,以还原-沉积法制备 Au/3DOM Al2O3和 Au/CeO2/3DOM Al2O3催化剂,并利用扫描电镜、N2物理吸附-脱附、X射线衍射、透射电镜、紫外漫反射光谱、H2程序升温还原和 X射线光电子能谱等手段对催化剂形貌、比表面积、物理化学性质和氧化还原性进行了表征.结果表明,在 CeO2/3DOM Al2O3中, Al3+可进入到氧化铈晶格内,形成 Al-Ce-O固溶体,产生氧空位,这有利于氧物种转移.此外, Au/CeO2/3DOM Al2O3催化剂中 Au和 CeO2之间的强相互作用能增加 Au纳米颗粒表面活性氧物种数量,从而促进柴油炭烟燃烧反应.纳米颗粒 Au的担载使得催化柴油炭烟燃烧的起燃温度明显降低,其中 Au/CeO2/3DOM Al2O3催化剂表现出最高的催化活性,T10,T50和T90分别为273,364和412oC.