Influence of copper ion doping on structural, optical and redox properties of CeO₂ nanoparticles

In this study, we doped different concentrations of copper ion in CeO₂ matrix to investigate the influence of doping concentrations on crystal structure, thermal, optical and redox properties of the as-prepared nanoproducts. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns indicate that the doped CeO₂ nanoparticles were highly crystalline with dominant (111) texture. No other impurities were observed and Cu ions were homogenously distributed inside the CeO₂ lattice. As observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) the homogenously distributed nanoparticles were agglomerated with increase doping contents because of decreased crystalinity. The temperature program reduction (TPR) technique was used to examine the redox character of the doped ceria nanoparticles. The Cu ions doped CeO₂ were reduced at low temperature indicating the high catalytic activity. The synergistic interaction between Cu and CeO₂ was the main factor responsible for high catalytic activity of the Cu doped CeO₂ model catalysts. Furthermore, the as-obtained Cu-doped CeO₂ nanoparticles revealed superior redox performance in contrast with pure CeO₂ prepared by the same route.