Abstract

The preparation of ceria and ceria–zirconia supported ruthenium catalysts was optimized in order to get well-dispersed metal particles. The influence of the preparation method and the treatment conditions on the final morphology of the catalyst was investigated. Ceria-supported catalysts, prepared by incipient wetness impregnation under ultrasound and further treated under pure hydrogen, were shown to have an optimal metal dispersion. In fact, H₂ chemisorption results and TEM observations demonstrated a large increase in the metal accessibility when impregnation was carried out with ultrasound assistance. Ceria-supported ruthenium catalysts with dispersion as high as 60% were prepared.