Modification of Copper-Ceria Catalyst via Reverse Microemulsion Method and Study of the Effects of Surfactant on WGS Catalyst Activity

Some major drawbacks encountered in the synthesis of copper-ceria (Cu-CeO2)-based Water Gas Shift (WGS) catalyst via the conventional Impregnation (IMP) method are aggregate formation and nanoparticles' instability. These lead to the poor interaction between Copper and Ceria, thereby impeding the catalytic activity with the inefficient utilization of active sites. To overcome these drawbacks, in this study, we described the synthesis of the Cu-CeO2 catalyst via the Reverse Microemulsion (RME) method with the help of the organic surfactant. This development of insights and strategies resulted in the preparation of porous particles with uniform size distribution and improved interaction within the composites, which were evident through XRD, XPS, BET Surface area, TPR, TEM and SEM analysis results. Remarkably, the optimum 20% Cu-CeO2 catalyst prepared by RME method was found to have superior Water Gas Shift (WGS) catalytic activity than the conventionally Impregnated catalyst when their CO conversion efficiencies were tested in WGS reaction at different feed gas compositions with and without CO2. Moreover, the 20% Cu-CeO2 sample prepared by RME method exhibited sustained catalytic activity throughout the entire 48 h period without any signs of deactivation. This observation highlights RME method as the potential pathway for developing more effective nanoparticle catalysts for hydrogen production, contributing to the growing demand for clean and sustainable energy sources.