CeO₂ Nanorod-Supported Transition Metal Catalysts Prepared by Dealloying for CO Oxidation

In this study, Al–Ce, Al–Ce–Ni, and Al–Ce–Mn precursor alloys were prepared by melt-spinning, and then dealloyed in 20% NaOH aqueous solution and calcined in air. The catalytic activities of the as-prepared precursors were evaluated for the oxidation of CO at atmospheric pressure. The results revealed that a novel CeO₂ nanorod-supported skeleton structure could be obtained by dealloying and calcining the as-quenched Al–Ce ribbons. The CO conversion temperatures for the CeO₂/NiO and CeO₂/MnO₂ composites were reduced to about 147 and 136 °C, respectively, which indicated the superior activity of these composites as compared to pure CeO₂ (Zhang et al. in Nanotechnology 28, 45602, 2017) [11]. The reason for the increased catalytic performance can be attributed to the large number of active sites provided by the composite materials. The synergistic effects at the NiO/MnO₂ and CeO₂ interface as well as the increase in the concentration of oxygen vacancies in the composites also play important roles in the enhancement of the catalytic performance.