CO-PROX reactions on copper cerium oxide catalysts prepared by melt infiltration

A series of copperceriumoxidecatalysts was prepared by meltinfiltration routes using silica hollow spheres (SHS) as the support material. Their catalytic activity in CO oxidation and preferential oxidation of CO in H2 stream (PROX) strongly depends on the Cu/Ce ratio. Lower ratios resulted in higher activity, indicating that finely dispersed CuO clusters that strongly interact with ceria are the active sites. The highest activity is found for an atomic Cu/Ce ratio of 1/8. The catalystsprepared by meltinfiltration are more active than their counterparts prepared by conventional solution impregnation methods. The difference is attributed to the higher proportion of finely dispersed CuO clusters strongly interacting with ceria in the melt infiltrated catalysts.