Preparation of nanometric CeO2-ZrO2-Nd2O3 solid solution and its catalytic performances

A kind of nanometric CeO2-ZrO2-Nd2O3 (CZN) solid solution for a carrier in the automotive three-way catalysts was synthesized by a coprecipitation method and characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), nitrogen adsorption-desorption (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and oxygen storage capacity (OSC). For the purpose of comparison, an unincorporated CeO2-ZrO2 (CZ) was also synthesized. The XRD measurements disclose the prepared CeO2-ZrO2-Nd2O3 have a face-centered cubic fluorite structure and nanoparticle sizes. According to the results of XPS, Nd3+ ions can enter the CZ lattice and form a homogenous solid solution. Oxygen storage capacity measurements reveal that CeO2-ZrO2-Nd2O3 display high oxygen mobility at a low temperature. The results of the activity tests show that the catalyst exhibits good three-way catalytic activity and fairly wide range of air-to-fuel ratios. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.