Mesoporous copper-ceria-titania ternary oxides as catalysts for environmental protection: Impact of Ce/Ti ratio and preparation procedure

Hydrothermally obtained mesoporous ceria-titania mixed oxides with different composition are modified with copper using incipient wetness impregnation and chemisorption-hydrolysis techniques. Their catalytic properties in methanol decomposition as a source of hydrogen and total oxidation of ethyl acetate as representative volatile organic pollutant are investigated. The effect of support composition and modification method on the formation of catalytic active sites is studied. The obtained results show that the catalytic behavior is determined by the activity of finely dispersed CuO crystallites and facile electron transfer in the conjugated Ti-Ce-Cu redox centres in the interface layer. The mechanism of the formation of the interface layer and the growth of CuO crystallites during different modification procedures are discussed in details. The mesoporous Cu-Ce-Ti oxides demonstrate excellent catalytic activity in total oxidation of ethyl acetate. Their catalytic behavior in methanol decomposition is strongly influenced by the reductive transformations, which are provoked by the reaction medium.