The effect of Nd on the properties of ceria-zirconia solid solution and the catalytic performance of its supported Pd-only three-way catalyst for gasoline engine exhaust reduction

A series of ceria-zirconia-neodymia mixed oxides with different contents of neodymia and the supported Pd-only three-way catalysts before and after aging have been prepared and characterized. The influence of Nd doping on the structural/textural properties of ceria-zirconia (CZ) and the effect on the three-way catalytic performance are also investigated. The results demonstrate that the addition of neodymia results in the formation of ceria-zirconia-neodymia ternary solid solution (CZN) with better textural and structural properties as well as improved reducibility and redox behavior, leading to the promoted three-way catalytic activity and enlarged air/fuel operation window. The modified solid solution with 5 wt.% neodymia shows the preferable textural/structural properties considering that the capacity of foreign cation is limited in the crystal lattice of ceria-zirconia solid solution, and Pd/CZN5 shows the optimum three-way catalytic performance and wider air/fuel operation window, especially for the corresponding aged one. Crown Copyright (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.