The recent developments and applications of efficient copper-ceria catalysts

Because of its unique ability in storing and releasing oxygen, ceria (CeO2) can form structurally stable and chemically active interface with the active components by adjusting the crystal domain size and surface structure, which significantly improves the performance of the catalyst. For the selection of active components, copper has become an excellent substitute for noble metals because of its availability, good activity, and decent stability. Therefore, the copper-ceria catalytic system has become the most economical and effective material for catalyzing a variety of industrial reactions such as carbon monoxide oxidation and the water gas shift reaction. The morphology, size, and exposed crystal faces of CeO2 will affect the interaction between the metal and supports to form complex structure of the catalyst, resulting in insufficient understanding of the active site and mechanism. Therefore, this paper briefly summarized the precise identification and rational construction of active sites in the CuO-CeO2 system. Besides, the prospects for its future development direction are mentioned briefly.