Catalytic decomposition of N2O over CuxCe1−xOy mixed oxides

The catalytic N2O decomposition was investigated over a series of CuxCe1−xOy mixed oxides with different Cu/Ce molar ratios. Effects of synergy over mixed oxides of CeO2 and CuO were observed significantly, the catalyst of Cu0.67Ce0.33Oy exhibited the high activity among the Cu–Ce–O mixed oxides for N2O decomposition. Characterizations of XRD, N2-adsorption, XPS, and H2-TPR were applied to correlate their properties with the corresponding catalytic performance, and reveal the synergetic effect between CuO and CeO2 for N2O decomposition. In situ DRIFTS investigation confirmed the presence of CuI species that was closely related with the activity of CuxCe1−xOy catalyst. The synergy of CuxCe1−xOy promoted the stability and the ability to regenerate the active CuI site.

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► The synergetic effect is demonstrated between Cu and Ce in the CuxCe1−xOy mixed oxides.
► The synergetic effect leads to an enhancement in the catalytic activity and stability.
► The amount of the CuI species correlates well with the N2O decomposition performance.
► The synergy promotes the stability and the ability of regeneration of active site CuI.