Enhanced reduction properties of mesostructured Ce0.5Zr0.5O2 solid solutions

• Gemini was successfully used to synthesis mesoporous Ce0.5Zr0.5O2 materials.
• A OSC up to 0.58 mol O2/mol Ce was obtained without any structural changes.
• Step by step redox circles in the sample were detected.

Mesostructured Ce0.5Zr0.5O2 solid solutions (M-CZ) were hydrothermally synthesized using Gemini surfactant as the template. X-ray diffraction (XRD), small-angle X-ray diffraction (SAXRD), N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms and high-resolution transmission electronic microscopy (HRTEM) were adopted to characterize the samples. The product had a surface area of 123.5 m2 g−1 with maximum oxygen storage capacity (OSC) of 0.58 mol O2/mol Ce. Oxygen anions in the M-CZ can be repeatedly released and resumed during the redox recycles. Reduction of Ce4+ to Ce3+ or lower valence and Zr4+ to Zr3+ were fulfilled with an obvious color change during the temperature programmed reduction (TPR) process, while the crystal structure of the product remained unchanged even after severe reduction. The mesostructure of the product can improve the reductive ability of Ce4+ and Zr4+ cations, which was beneficial to the enhancement of OSC.