Investigation of the structure and activity of VOx/CeO2/SiO2 catalysts for methanol oxidation to formaldehyde

► Bilayered VOx/CeO2/SiO2 was investigated for methanol oxidation. ► Ce enhances activity by 20-fold. ► Differences in activity of VOx/CeO2/SiO2 and VOx/SiO2 are attributed to differences in the rate-limiting step.