Effects of cerium precursors on surface properties of mesoporous CeMnO catalysts for toluene combustion

Mesoporous CeMnOx composite oxides catalysts were prepared by surfactant-assisted co-precipitation method and used for the catalytic oxidation of toluene. The effect of different cerium precursors [Ce(NO3)3 and (NH4)2Ce(NO3)6] on catalyst structure, surface properties and toluene combustion activities of mesoporous CeMnOx catalysts were investigated. The Ce(III)MnOx catalyst prepared from Ce(NO3)3 precursor shows higher catalytic activity, with a 90% conversion temperature of 240 °C, which is better than the Ce(IV)MnOx catalyst derived from (NH4)2Ce(NO3)6] precursor. On the basis of characterizations, it reveals that abundant surface content of Mn4+, better redox behavior and larger concentration of surface active oxygen species are responsible for the excellent catalytic performance.