Effect of Ti3+ on TiO2-supported Cu catalysts used for CO oxidation

In this paper, we have shown that Cu/TiO(2) catalysts are highly active in CO oxidation. For instance, a 3.4% Cu/TiO(2) catalyst exhibits a higher turnover rate for the effective removal of CO in air than 3-5% Pt/TiO(2) and 20% Cu/ZnO/Al(2)O(3) catalysts. A small amount of Cu(+) species is formed during the calcination treatment at 225 °C, which is the main active phase for the CO oxidation. However, it is proposed that some highly dispersed CuO can also form in the TiO(2) lattice during the calcination treatment. Furthermore, a strong electron interaction between Cu(2+) in highly dispersed CuO and Ti(3+) on rutile TiO(2) (Cu(2+)+Ti(3+)→Cu(+)+Ti(4+)) has been shown to occur. Overall, the reduction of Cu(+) is a major factor that contributes to the reaction rate of the CO oxidation.