Abstract
Atomically dispersed transition metals (Ru, Pd and
Pt) have been prepared on CeO2 and evaluated for NOx/CO abatement
applications for diesel and gasoline engines, such as low temperature passive
NOx adsorption (PNA), NO and CO oxidation, and three-way-catalysis (TWC). 0.5
wt% Ru/CeO2 catalyst (Ru is ~27 and ~7 times cheaper than Rh and Pd)
shows remarkable PNA performance, better than 1 wt% Pd/Zeolite: it achieves 100%
removal of NOx during vehicle cold start. FTIR measurements reveal the
formation of stable Ru(NO) complexes as well spill-over of NO to CeO2
surface via the Ru-O-Ce shuttle, explaining high NO storage. Notably, Ru/ceria
survives hydrothermal aging at 750 ⁰C without loss of PNA
capacity. It is also a robust NO oxidation catalyst, considerably more active
than Pt or Pd/CeO2. Expanding the repertoire of Ru/CeO2
catalytic applications, we further find 0.1 and 0.5 wt% Ru/CeO2 to
be excellent TWC catalysts, rivaling best single-atom Rh supported materials. Our
study pushes the frontier of precious metal atom economy for environmental
catalysis from uber expensive Rh/Pd/Pt to more sustainable cheaper Ru and
highlights the utility of single-atom catalysts for industrially relevant
applications.