Construction of cerium-based oxide catalysts with abundant defects/vacancies and their application to catalytic elimination of air pollutants

Abstract

As environmental regulations become more stringent and public awareness of the need for environmental protection increases, air pollution has become an issue of widespread concern. Catalytic purification technology is considered one of the most effective strategies for the elimination of air pollutants, although the development of highly efficient catalysts has become a key hurdle in the widespread application of this technology. In recent years, cerium-based oxide catalysts have been widely used for the catalytic removal of air pollutants owing to their excellent redox properties, oxygen storage/release capacity, and low cost. Investigating the construction of abundant oxygen vacancies/defects on CeO₂ surfaces is important for improving the performance of these catalysts. This review first summarizes recent advances in the preparation of CeO₂ catalysts featuring abundant oxygen vacancies/defects, such as the hydrothermal, template, sol–gel, solid-phase synthesis, and coprecipitation methods. Next, the catalytic elimination of air pollutants, including CO, NO_x, volatile organic compounds, soot, and SO_x, by cerium-based oxide catalysts is discussed. Finally, the problems and prospects of cerium-based oxide catalysts with abundant defects/vacancies for the catalytic elimination of air pollutants are described.