Applied Surface Science Advances (Dec 2022)
Progress in mesoporous ceria: A review on synthesis strategies and catalytic applications
Abstract
Materials and innovation in earth-abundant materials are vital in addressing societal challenges such as air purification, alternate energy, wastewater remediation, and better living. In this fast growing world, several important technological materials can be applied to this goal. Metal Oxide based materials are exiting due to their tunable band gap leading to a variety of properties that address climate change. This review presents the updated account of mesoporous ceria (MC), which is one of the important and vastly researched mesoporous metal oxide, their synthesis, and applications. Ceria has been one of the most studied materials due to its unique crystal structure, high oxygen storage capacity (OSC), and redox properties. MC has more active sites at the surface, larger pore size distributions, and high oxygen storage capability than bulk ceria. The effect of the synthesis method of MC has a pronounced impact on its properties like surface area, pore size, and catalytic activity. MC is non-toxic, eco-friendly, compatible with biological and chemical processes, sustainable, and stable in acidic and basic mediums. It provides enhanced performance for various industrial applications, and the structure-activity relationship plays an important role in its catalytic activity. MC is able to supply and withdraw oxygen, and provides high level of synergetic interaction with other metals and metal oxides. The presence of cerium-based oxides generally allows for obtaining a strong metal-support interaction, thereby helping the dispersion of active metal phases, selectivity, and durability of the catalysts. Moreover, it introduces different functionalities such as redox and acid-base, which provides solutions to a wide range of problems in catalysis. Additionally, oxygen vacancies in the lattice structure allow for alternating between CeO2 and CeO2−x during redox reactions. This review discusses: (1) the methods of synthesis for ceria nanoparticles, including the recent green synthesis methods; (2) their characteristics, merits, and limitations; and (3) catalytic applications.
