Preparation and redox behavior of ordered porous zirconium oxide loaded with cerium

Cerium incorporated ordered porous zirconia materials have been prepared by the surfactant-assisted route and post-grafting method. The XRD patterns, TEM, nitrogen adsorption, and UV-Vis spectroscopy were adopted for the characterization of the synthesized materials. It was shown that small amount of cerium can be incorporated into the framework of ZrO₂ at the cerium loading not higher than 4wt%, excess amount of cerium could exist as nano-crystalline ceria onto the pore outer surfaces. The introduction of cerium induced more shrinkage of the zirconium framework but both the specific surface area and the ordering of pore structure were retained. The H₂-TPR measurement shows much more increased redox activity of the prepared mesoporous zirconia sample containing 10wt% ceria than that of the reference sample of Ce_0.35Zr_0.65O₂ prepared by the co-precipitation process.