Characterization and performance in preferential oxidation of CO of CuO–CeO2 catalysts synthesized using polymethyl metacrylate (PMMA) as template

CuO–CeO2 catalysts have been synthesized using polymethyl metacrylate (PMMA) microspheres as template and copper and cerium acetates as precursors, leading to a homogeneous porous framework of nanocrystalline materials with uniform pore size distribution and well dispersed copper species between 1 and 9 wt.%. The catalysts have been characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), High-resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), Raman spectroscopy, adsorption-desorption of N2 at −196 °C, thermoprogrammed reduction with H2 (H2-TPR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). CuO–CeO2 catalysts have been evaluated in the CO-PROX reaction, reaching high conversion values (>95%) at 115 °C for all samples. Moreover, these catalysts have been tested under high content of CO2 and H2O in the feed, simulating a CO-PROX unit, obtaining conversion efficiency values higher than 90% at 115 °C, which indicates a high tolerance of the catalysts in both CO2 and H2O gases.