The
catalytic activity of a series of Cu–Ce catalysts supported
on carbon nanotubes was studied for NO reduction by CO. The 20 wt
% Cu1:Ce3/CNT catalyst showed the highest NO
x
conversion of 96% at 220 °C in the presence of oxygen
(O2/CO ≤ 0.6). The catalytic activity of the CNT-supported
catalysts was significantly enhanced due to synergistic interactions
between surface oxygen vacancies and Cu+ species in the
CNT-supported catalysts. Shifting of redox equilibrium to right (Cu2+ + Ce3+ ↔ Cu+ + Ce4+) resulted in creation of more reduced state Cu+. In the
presence of excess oxygen (O2/CO ≥ 0.6), the catalyst
can effectively catalyze the CO–O2 reaction and
the NO + CO reaction did not occur. Compared with Cu1:Ce3/CNT catalyst,
Cu1:Ce3 catalyst supported on activated carbon showed lower activity
due to the lower Cu+/Cu2+. A possible reaction
mechanism was proposed, providing insight into the catalytic reactions
between NO and CO.