Hydroxyl groups modified Cu–O–Ce interfaces for chemical looping CO preferential oxidation

Chemical-looping preferential oxidation (CL-PROX) technology has become an efficient method for removing CO from hydrogen-rich gases. In this study, by introducing hydroxyl groups to regulate the interaction between Cu and Ce, the efficient conversion of CO and the retention of H 2 were successfully achieved, thus bringing excellent CL-PROX performance. Characterizations show that 10CuCe-OH with introduced hydroxyl groups exhibit small particle size, low crystallinity, high surface concentrations of Cu + and Ce 3+ , abundant oxygen vacancies, excellent reducibility and strong oxidation activity. This is attributed to the fact that hydroxyl groups strengthen the interaction between Cu–O–Ce, forming more Cu + –O v –Ce 3+ structures. At 200 °C, the conversion of CO over 10CuCe-OH exceeds 90 %, while the conversion of H 2 is less than 4 %, which is far superior to that of 10CuCe. The results of in-situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy ( In-situ FTIR) and DFT calculations indicate that 10CuCe-OH possesses excellent adsorption and CO conversion capabilities. Overall, this work provides a new strategy for the design of high efficiency CL-PROX catalysts.