The prevalence of surface oxygen vacancies over the mobility of bulk oxygen in nanostructured ceria for the total toluene oxidation

AbstractThis paper reveals the key importance of surface oxygen defects in the oxidation catalytic activity of nanostructured ceria. A series of nanostructured rods and cubes with different physico–chemical properties have been synthesized, characterized and tested in the total toluene oxidation. The variation of the temperature and base concentration during the hydrothermal syntheses of nanostructured ceria leads not only to different ceria morphologies with high shape purity, but also to structures with tuneable surface areas and defect concentrations. Ceria nanorods present a higher surface area and a higher concentration of bulk and surface defects than nanocubes associated with their exposed crystal planes, leading to high oxidation activities. However, for a given morphology, the catalytic activity for toluene oxidation is directly related to the concentration of surface oxygen defects and not the overall concentration of oxygen vacancies as previously believed

The prevalence of surface oxygen vacancies over the mobility of bulk oxygen in nanostructured ceria for the total toluene oxidation

12 figures, 2 tablesThis paper reveals the key importance of surface oxygen defects in the oxidation catalytic activity of nanostructured ceria. A series of nanostructured rods and cubes with different physico-chemical properties have been synthesized, characterized and tested in the total toluene oxidation. The variation of the temperature and base concentration during the hydrothermal syntheses of nanostructured ceria leads not only to different ceria morphologies with high shape purity, but also to structures with tuneable surface areas and defect concentrations. Ceria nanorods present a higher surface area and a higher concentration of bulk and surface defects than nanocubes associated with their exposed crystal planes, leading to high oxidation activities. However, for a given morphology, the catalytic activity for toluene oxidation is directly related to the concentration of surface oxygen defects and not the overall concentration of oxygen vacancies as previously believed.The authors would like to acknowledge the UK Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (grant number EP/K016334/1 and EP/L020432/1) for funding, the University of Bath for ALG’s studentship and the Research Catalysis Group at Harwell (RCaH) for access to the TEM microscopy facilities. B.S. would like to thank the DGICYT in Spain (CTQ2012-37925-C03-2) for financial support. J.M. López would also like to thank Spanish MICINN and CSIC for founding his Ramon y Cajal contract (RYC-2009-04483)