Effect of the metal−support interaction in Ag/CeO 2 catalysts on their activity in ethanol oxidation

The interaction of silver with the surface of CeO2 in the Ag/CeO2 catalysts prepared by coprecipitation and impregnation techniques was studied by temperature-programmed reduction, X-ray diffraction, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. It was shown that coprecipitation technique led to formation of strong silver–support interaction and the epitaxy of silver particles (d 111 = 2.35 A) on the surface of CeO2 (d 111 = 3.1 A). This provided incresed catalytic activity in the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethanol at relatively low temperatures (a 15% conversion of ethanol with 100% selectivity for the formation of acetaldehyde was reached at 85°C). Above 130°C, the deep oxidation of ethanol to CO2 becomes the predominant direction of a catalytic reaction, and the Ag/CеО2 catalyst obtained by impregnation technique was most active in this region as a consequence of the weaker metal–support interaction.