Doping of Ceria-Zirconia Solid Solution with Rare-earth Elements

The increasingly restrictive regulations on car exhaust emissions will necessitate the development of a new generation of three way catalysts (TWC) with better performance1. Ceria (CeO2) is the main component of the current TWC: its key role is to compensate the fluctuations in the exhaust stream composition, therefore, allowing to expand the air/fuel(A/F) operating window of catalytic converters2. This property is related to its oxygen storage capacity (OSC), associated to the redox couple Ce4+/Ce3+. However, CeO2 alone is easy to sinter to lost OSC at high temperature3.Ceria-zirconia (CexZr1-xO2) solid solutions by incorporation of Zr4+ in the CeO2 lattice have enhanced OSC and greater thermal stability, which are becoming the key materials for the new generation of TWC4. OSC of ceria-zirconia solid solutions can be further improved by the addition of M3+ dopants5. Besides Ce, other rare-earth elements such as Pr and Tb can vary their oxidation state. Pr and Tb are particularly suitable for making solid solutions with cerium because the known structure of PrO2 and TbO2 is of the cubic fluorite type, and the ionic radii of Pr4+ and Tb4+ are close to that of Ce4+6.In this paper, Ce0.6Zr0.3M0.1O2 (M=Y, La, Pr, Tb) were prepared by co-precipitation technique and characterized by a series of methods. Meanwhile, palladium-only TWCs were prepared by slurry coating and their catalytic activity was evaluated under the condition of simulated exhaust in the lab.XRD and FT-Raman spectra results show Ce0.6Zr0.3M0.1O2 have cubic fluorite structure which keep unchanging at high temperature. The different dopant ion radii brought different effect on the cell parameter of Ce0.6Zr0.3M0.1O2. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results show that the binding energy of Ce3d, Zr3d and O1s for Ce0.6Zr0.3M0.1O2 rose compared with that for Ce0.6Zr0.4O2, indicating dopant elements changed chemistry environment of solid solutions which was available to improve redox performance From TPR results, doping La can not change redox performance of solid solution, but doping Y decreased reduction temperature. Doping Pr and Tb notably improved redox performance of solid solutions due to appearance of low-temperature reduction peak in TPR profile which come from mobility of bulk oxygen.Compared with Pd/Ce0.6Zr0.4O2, doping Y and La unchanged A/F characteristic of TWCs, but doping Pr and Tb widen A/ F operating window and make HC, CO and NO have higher conversion.The light-off temperature of Pd/Ce0.6Zr0.3La0.1O2 was corresponded to that of Pd/Ce0.6Zr0.4O2.However, the light-off temperatures of Pd/Ce0.6Zr0.3M0.1O2 (M=Y, Pr, Tb) were lower than that of Pd/Ce0.6Zr0.4O2, which kept much lower after high temperature treatments. Among Pd/Ce0.6Zr0.3M0.1O2 (M=Y, La, Pr, Tb), Pd/Ce0.6Zr0.3Tb0.1O2 showed wider A/F operating window,higher conversion, lower light-off temperature and better high-temperature resistance     

Pt/Ce0.6Zr0.4O2催化剂在水煤气变换反应中的电导研究

采用浸渍法制备了不同载体(Ce0.6Zr0.4O2,CeO2和ZrO2)负载的Pt基水煤气变换反应(WGSR)催化剂, 并对其进行了活性评价. 利用X射线衍射(XRD), 程序升温还原(TPR)和原位电导等技术对样品进行了表征. 结果表明, Ce0.6Zr0.4O2固溶体具有比CeO2更高的氧转移能力, 因此促进了Pt/Ce0.6Zr0.4O2催化剂的WGSR活性.     

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.     

Oxygen-release/storage properties of Ce0.5M0.5O2 (M = Zr, Hf) oxides: interplay of crystal chemistry and electronic structure

Fluorite-type Ce0.5Zr0.5O2 and Ce0.5Hf0.5O2 have been synthesized by a solution combustion route, and their oxygen release and reduction have been investigated up to 850 degrees C. On reduction, the zirconium system forms two pyrochlore phases, Ce2Zr2O7 (pyrochlore-I) and Ce2Zr2O6.2 (pyrochlore-II), while the hafnium system forms only a disordered fluorite phase with the composition Ce0.5Hf0.5O1.77, under the same experimental conditions. The crystal structures of the reduction products have been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement, and their electronic structures have been investigated by photoelectron spectroscopy and electrical conductivity measurements. Pyrochlore-I (a = 10.6727(4) A) is a semiconductor, while pyrochlore-II (a = 10.6463(8) A) is a good conductor (with a nearly temperature independent resistivity of approximately 2.5 ohm.cm in the 400-1000 K range). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) shows an admixture of Ce(5d,6s) with Zr(4d) and O(2p) and a significant density of states near EF in the highly reduced pyrochlore-II phase. The changes have been rationalized in terms of a qualitative energy band scheme that brings out the special role of zirconium vis-à-vis hafnium in the reduction/oxygen release properties of Ce0.5Zr0.5O2 and Ce0.5Hf0.5O2.     

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 for transient structures on the CeO2(110) surface at 300 and 750 K

Ab initio embedded-cluster calculations have been performed for the CeO2(110) surface using temperature induced structures from molecular dynamics (MD) snapshots. As a first step towards understanding how temperature induced distortions of the surface structure influence the surface oxygen reactivity, the energy cost of removing an O atom from the surface was calculated for 41 snapshots from the MD simulation at 300 K. The quantum mechanical embedded-cluster calculations show that already at 300 K the dynamics causes significant fluctuations (root mean square of 0.37 eV) in the O vacancy formation energy (Evac) while the distribution of the two excess electrons associated with the vacancy is virtually unaffected by the surface dynamics and remains localized on the two Ce ions close to the vacancy. It is also found that the quantum mechanical Evac fluctuations can be reproduced by oxygen vacancy calculations using only the relaxed shell-model force field (FF) itself and the MD geometries. Using the FF as the interaction model, the effect of raising the temperature to 750 K and the effect of doping with Ca were investigated for the oxygen vacancy formation.     

Density functional studies of model cerium oxide nanoparticles

Density functional plane-wave calculations have been performed to investigate a series of ceria nanoparticles (CeO2-x)(n), n Ce3+ reduction have been accounted for through the use of an effective on-site Coulomb repulsive interaction within the so-called DFT+U approach. Twelve nanoparticles of up to 2 nm in diameter and of both cuboctahedral and octahedral forms are chosen as representative model systems. Energetic and structural effects of oxygen vacancy formation in these nanoparticles are discussed with respect to those in the bulk and on extended surfaces. We show that the average interatomic distances of the nanoparticles are most significantly affected by the creation of oxygen vacancies. The formation energies of non-stoichiometric nanoparticles (CeO2-x)(n) are found to scale linearly with the average coordination number of Ce atoms; where x < 0 species, containing partially reduced O atoms, are less stable. The stability of octahedral ceria particles at small sizes, and the predicted strong propensity of Ce cations to acquire a reduced state at lower coordinated sites, is supported by interatomic potential-based global optimisations probing the low energy isomers of the Ce19O32 nanoparticle.     

Characterization of O2-CeO2 interactions using in situ Raman spectroscopy and first-principle calculations.

Interactions between O(2) and CeO(2) are examined experimentally using in situ Raman spectroscopy and theoretically using density-functional slab-model calculations. Two distinct oxygen bands appear at 825 and 1131 cm(-1), corresponding to peroxo- and superoxo-like species, respectively, when partially reduced CeO(2) is exposed to 10 % O(2). Periodic density-functional theory (DFT) calculations aid the interpretation of spectroscopic observations and provide energetic and geometric information for the dioxygen species adsorbed on CeO(2). The O(2) adsorption energies on unreduced CeO(2) surfaces are endothermic (0.91相似文献   

CeO2(110)表面上CO氧化反应的密度泛函理论研究

利用密度泛函理论系统研究了O2与CO在CeO2(110)表面的吸附反应行为. 研究表明, O2在洁净的CeO2(110)表面吸附热力学不利, 而在氧空位表面为强化学吸附, O2分子被活化, 可能是重要的氧化反应物种. CO在洁净的CeO2(110)表面有化学吸附与物理吸附两种构型, 前者形成二齿碳酸盐物种, 后者与表面仅存在弱的相互作用. 在氧空位表面, CO可分子吸附或形成碳酸盐物种, 相应吸附能均较低. 当表面氧空位吸附O2后(O2/Ov), CO可吸附生成碳酸盐或直接生成CO2, 与原位红外光谱结果相一致. 过渡态计算发现,O2/Ov/CeO2(110)表面的三齿碳酸盐物种经两齿、单齿过渡态脱附生成CO2. 利用扩展休克尔分子轨道理论分析了典型吸附构型的电子结构, 说明表面碳酸盐物种三个氧原子电子存在离域作用, 物理吸附的CO及生成的CO2电子结构与相应自由分子相似.     

MnOx/Al2O3/Ce0.45Zr0.45M0.10Oy （M = Mn, Y, La） catalysts used for ethanol catalytic combustion

MnOx/Al2O3/Ce0.45Zr0.45M0.10Oy (M = Mn,Y,La) catalysts were prepared by impregnation method and characterized by BET,TPR and XRD analyses.The catalytic activities toward ethanol combustion were investigated in a microreactor.The results demonstrated that the catalytic activity of MnOx/Al2O3/Ce0.50Zr0.50O2 monolithic catalyst could be improved by doping Mn,Y and La into Ce0.50Zr0.50O2.When doping Y into Ce0.50Zr0.50O2,the catalyst MnOx/Al2O3/Ce0.45Zr0.45Y0.10O1.95 showed the highest activity.The 100% conversion temperature of ethanol was 230 ℃.Furthermore,once the conversion of ethanol started,the complete conversion was quickly achieved.The doping of Mn,Y and La led to better activity for ethanol combustion and lower temperature reduction peaks in TPR profiles.The doping of Mn resulted in enhanced oxygen storage capacity (OSC),larger area of the reduction peaks,and excellent reactivity,and the doping of Y resulted in the lowest reduction temperature and the best activity.     

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.     

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).     

Surface stabilized nanosized Ce(x)Zr(1-x)O(2) solid solutions over SiO(2): characterization by XRD, Raman, and HREM techniques

Ce(x)Zr(1)(-)(x)O(2) solid solutions deposited over silica surface were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy (RS), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM) techniques in order to understand the role of silica support and the temperature stability of these composite oxides. For the purpose of comparison, an unsupported Ce(x)Zr(1)(-)(x)O(2) was also synthesized and subjected to characterization by various techniques. The Ce(x)Zr(1)(-)(x)O(2)/SiO(2) (CZ/S) (1:1:2 mole ratio based on oxides) was synthesized by depositing Ce(x)Zr(1)(-)(x)O(2) solid solution over a colloidal SiO(2) support by a deposition precipitation method and unsupported Ce(x)Zr(1)(-)(x)O(2) (CZ) (1:1 mole ratio based on oxides) was prepared by a coprecipitation procedure, and the obtained catalysts were subjected to thermal treatments from 773 to 1073 K. The XRD measurements disclose the presence of cubic phases with the composition Ce(0.75)Zr(0.25)O(2) and Ce(0.6)Zr(0.4)O(2) in CZ samples, while CZ/S samples possess Ce(0.75)Zr(0.25)O(2), Ce(0.6)Zr(0.4)O(2), and Ce(0.5)Zr(0.5)O(2) in different proportions. The crystallinity of these phases increased with increasing calcination temperature. The cell a parameter estimations indicate contraction of ceria lattice due to the incorporation of zirconium cations into the CeO(2) unit cell. Raman measurements indicate the presence of oxygen vacancies, lattice defects, and displacement of oxygen ions from their normal lattice positions in both the series of samples. The HREM results reveal, in the case of CZ/S samples, a well-dispersed nanosized Ce-Zr-oxides over the surface of amorphous SiO(2). The structural features of these crystals as determined by digital diffraction analysis of experimental images reveal that the Ce-Zr-oxides are mainly in the cubic geometry and exhibit high thermal stability. Oxygen storage capacity measurements by a thermogravimetric method reveal a substantial enhancement in the oxygen vacancy concentration of CZ/S sample over the unsupported CZ sample.     

Raman analysis of mode softening in nanoparticle CeO(2-δ) and Au-CeO(2-δ) during CO oxidation

Oxygen vacancy levels are monitored during the oxidation of CO by CeO(2-δ) nanorods and Au-CeO(2-δ) nanorods, nanocubes, and nanopolyhedra by using Raman scattering. The first-order CeO(2) F(2g) peak near 460 cm(-1) decreases when this reaction is fast (fast reduction and relatively slow reoxidation of the surface), because of the lattice expansion that occurs when Ce(3+) replaces Ce(4+) during oxygen vacancy creation. This shift correlates with reactivity for CO oxidation. Increases in the oxygen deficit δ as large as ~0.04 are measured relative to conditions when the ceria is not reduced.     

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).     

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.     

Theoretical study of CeO2 and Ce2O3 using a screened hybrid density functional

The predicted structures and electronic properties of CeO(2) and Ce(2)O(3) have been studied using conventional and hybrid density functional theory. The lattice constant and bulk modulus for CeO(2) from local (LSDA) functionals are in good agreement with experiment, while the lattice parameter from a generalized gradient approximation (GGA) is too long. This situation is reversed for Ce(2)O(3), where the LSDA lattice constant is much too short, while the GGA result is in reasonable agreement with experiment. Significantly, the screened hybrid HSE functional gives excellent agreement with experimental lattice constants for both CeO(2) and Ce(2)O(3). All methods give insulating ground states for CeO(2) with gaps for the 4f band lying between 1.7 eV (LSDA) and 3.3 eV (HSE) and 6-8 eV for the conduction band. For Ce(2)O(3) the local and GGA functionals predict a semimetallic ground state with small (0-0.3 eV) band gap but weak ferromagnetic coupling between the Ce(+3) centers. By contrast, the HSE functional gives an insulating ground state with a band gap of 3.2 eV and antiferromagnetic coupling. Overall, the hybrid HSE functional gives a consistent picture of both the structural and electronic properties of CeO(2) and Ce(2)O(3) while treating the 4f band consistently in both oxides.     

Many competing ceria (110) oxygen vacancy structures: From small to large supercells

We present periodic "DFT+U" studies of single oxygen vacancies on the CeO(2)(110) surface using a number of different supercells, finding a range of different local minimum structures for the vacancy and its two accompanying Ce(III) ions. We find three different geometrical structures in combination with a variety of different Ce(III) localization patterns, several of which have not been studied before. The desired trapping of electrons was achieved in a two-stage optimization procedure. We find that the surface oxygen nearest to the vacancy either moves within the plane towards the vacancy, or rises out of the surface into either a symmetric or an unsymmetric bridge structure. Results are shown in seven slab geometry supercells, p(2 × 1), p(2 × 2), p(2 × 3), p(3 × 2), p(2 × 4), p(4 × 2), and p(3 × 3), and indicate that the choice of supercell can affect the results qualitatively and quantitatively. An unsymmetric bridge structure with one nearest and one next-nearest neighbour Ce(III) ion (a combination of localizations not previously found) is the ground state in all (but one) of the supercells studied here, and the relative stability of other structures depends strongly on supercell size. Within any one supercell the formation energies of the different vacancy structures differ by up to 0.5 eV, but the same structure can vary by up to ～1 eV between supercells. Furthermore, finite size scaling suggests that the remaining errors (compared to still larger supercells) can also be ～1 eV for some vacancy structures.     

Ce0.50Zr0.50O2中掺杂M(M = Mn,Y)对乙酸乙酯燃烧催化剂MnOx/Ce0.50-zZr0.50-zM2zOy/Al2O3性能的影响

考察了乙酸乙酯催化燃烧时,铈锆固溶体中掺杂M (M = Mn, Y)对催化剂MnO_x/Ce_0.50-zZr_0.50-zM_2zO_y/Al₂O₃活性的影响。结果表明: Mn的掺杂明显增加了储氧材料的储氧量(OSC),Y的掺杂明显降低了催化剂的还原温度;Mn 和Y的同时掺杂兼具Mn掺杂和Y掺杂的优点。催化剂MnO_x/Ce_0.40Zr_0.40Mn_0.10Y_0.10O_y/Al₂O₃ 性能最佳,完全转化温度为513K,且T_10% 和 T_100%间隔的温度范围最窄,可适用于较大初始浓度变化范围和较高空速(GHSV)条件下的乙酸乙酯净化。H₂程序升温还原(H₂-TPR)和X射线衍射(XRD)测试显示,MnO_x/Ce_0.40Zr_0.40Mn_0.10Y_0.10O_y/Al₂O₃具有较低的还原温度和较大的还原峰面积; Mn 和Y进入铈锆固溶体的晶格,改善了其织构性能,促进了锰氧化物在载体表面的分散。     

Catalytic methanol decomposition to carbon monoxide and hydrogen over Pd/CeO2-ZrO2-La2O3 with different Ce/Zr molar ratios

The catalytic behaviors of Pd (1.4 wt%) catalysts supported on CeO2-ZrO2-La2O3 mixed oxides with different Ce/Zr molar ratios were investigated for methanol decomposition. Nitrogen adsorption-desorption (BET), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), H2 temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Pd dispersion analysis were used for their characterization. Pd/Ce0.76Zr0.18 La0.06 O1.97 catalyst showed the highest BET surface area, best Pd dispersion capability and strongest metal-support interaction. Moreover, XPS showed that there was lattice defect oxygen or mobile oxygen. According to the result of O 1s measurements the lattice defect oxygen or mobile oxygen helped to maintain Pd in a partly oxidized state and increased the activity for methanol decomposition. The Pd/Ce0.76Zr0.18La0.06O1.97 catalyst exhibited the best activity. A 100% conversion of methanol was achieved at around 260℃, which was about 20-40 ℃ lower than other catalysts