The effects of Fe promotion were investigated on the activity and selectivity of Rh/CeO 2 catalyst for the direct synthesis of ethanol from syngas. The catalysts were comprehensively characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N 2 adsorption-desorption, CO uptake, H 2 -TPR, temperature programmed surface reaction (TPSR), and FT-IR. XRD, CO uptake and FT-IR measurements indicated that Rh particles were well dispersed. TPSR results revealed that the addition of Fe changed CO dissociation behavior over the catalysts. FT-IR results showed that Fe promoter stabilized both linear carbonyl and gem-dicarbonyl species, which could be responsible for the improved catalytic activity. The interaction between Rh and Fe species is proposed to play a crucial role in achieving higher ethanol selectivity.
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