Effect of preparation procedure on the properties of CeO2

The effect of preparation procedure on the physicochemical and catalytic properties of CeO2 was studied. Differences in the electronic and structural characteristics of CeO2 depending on preparation procedure and treatment temperature were found using X-ray diffraction analysis, transmission electron microscopy, UV-visible electronic spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. With the use of the temperature-programmed reaction with CO, it was demonstrated that CeO2 samples with a high concentration of point defects—oxygen vacancies caused by the presence of Ce3+—were characterized by an increased mobility of bulk oxygen. The samples of CeO2 with a high concentration of structural defects—micropores of size 1–2 nm and stepwise vicinal faces in crystallites—exhibited a high catalytic activity in the reaction of CO oxidation.