Where Does the Sulphur Go? Deactivation of a Low Temperature CO Oxidation Catalyst by Sulphur Poisoning

Sulphate formation, occurring preferentially at the CuO/CeOx–ZrOx interface, is responsible for the deactivation of low temperature CO oxidation catalysts. XRD, FTIR and isotope exchange experiments, as well as DFT calculations, reveal the poisoning mechanism of sulphate formation on the CeOx/ZrOx support material.