CuO supported on ceria and alumina is prepared
by incipient wetness impregnation and its redox
behavior is investigated by means of XRD, XPS and TPO
experiments. CuO on ZrO2 and on ceria–zirconia are also
synthesized for comparison. The support plays a major role
on the dynamics of CuO–Cu2O transformation. On Al2O3
the formation of CuAl2O4 inhibits any oxygen exchange
during TPO experiments, while on ceria, zirconia and ceria–
zirconia supported catalysts CuO decomposition and
re-oxidation take place with a hysteresis similar to that
observed for Pd–PdO transformation. On CeO2 the hysteresis
is significantly reduced, indicating a strong effect of
ceria on CuO–Cu2O redox cycle.
