Catalytic combustion of methane on La1−xCexFeO3 oxides

A series of La1−xCexFeO3 (x = 0-0.5) perovskite oxides were prepared by a sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction spectrometer (XRD), BET surface area measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) were used to characterize their physical structures and redox properties. Catalytic methane combustion tests for La1−xCexFeO3 (x = 0-0.5) perovskite oxides show that the activity of LaFeO3 was highly improved due to the introduction of Ce in the A-site of the perovskite catalysts. Among all the catalysts, La0.7Ce0.3FeO3 has the maximum oxidative performance with the corresponding T90 as low as 510 °C. Combining with density functional theory calculation, it was suggested that the electrons of Fe ions increase in La0.875Ce0.125FeO3 due to the introduction of Ce4+ ion, which leads to stronger interactions with adsorbed O2. Correspondingly, the adsorption energy of O2 on La0.875Ce0.125FeO3 increases and the OO bond is activated. Thus, the Ce doped perovskite has higher oxidative activity than pure LaFeO3.