Initial Research on the 1%CuO – 6CeO2 – 4ZrO2 Catalysts by TPR-H2 for the Carbon Monoxide Preferential Oxidation (CO-PROX Reaction)

The 1wt%CuO – 6CeO2 – 4ZrO2 catalysts were synthesized by sol-gel method with two different procedures: (i) impregnating CuO on CeO2-ZrO2 support (CuO/CeO2-ZrO2), (ii) sol-gel of the Cu, Ce and Zr precursor together (CuO-CeO2-ZrO2). These catalysts were applied for the preferential oxidation of carbon monoxide (CO-PROX) to remove a small quantity of CO in an H2-rich stream (the new research direction in Viet Nam), fueling the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) energy system. The findings of the TPR-H2 experiment indicated that the catalyst produced through the first method exhibited an α reduction peak at 174 °C, which shows the effective dispersion of copper species. In combination with EPR results, the author anticipates a significant dispersion arising from isolated copper, which is recognized as a pivotal site in the CO-PROX reaction per numerous reputable studies. The catalyst synthesized by the second method did not provide a clear indication of the oxidation behavior of Cu-species. Therefore, it can be inferred that this catalyst is inappropriate for the low-temperature CO-PROX reaction.