Structure of Copper Oxide Species Supported on Monoclinic Zirconia

The structure of copper oxide species in Cu/ZrO2 catalysts with monoclinic zirconia as a support was studied. The catalysts with various copper loadings (3–40 wt % of Cu) prepared by impregnation technique were characterized using N2O titration, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, radial distribution function (RDF) of electron density, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). It was established that the Cu/ZrO2 catalysts contained highly dispersed CuO particles along with the large ones. Geometrical similarity between the CuO and ZrO2 monoclinic structures favors stabilization of the highly dispersed CuO particles on the support with low specific surface area.