Mechanism of Copper Vanadate Catalysts for Promoting CO Catalytic Oxidation Activity and SO₂ Tolerance

A series of copper vanadates were synthesized and characterized to assess their efficacy in the low-temperature catalytic oxidation of CO. Cu3V2O8 was identified as the most active phase due to its unique electronic structure and highly reactive lattice oxygen─resulting from the solid electronic interactions between Cu and V within the Cu2+–O–V5+ asymmetric oxygen network─which offers superior catalytic performance by enhancing CO adsorption and oxidation. Additionally, the Cu3V2O8 catalyst exhibited remarkable resistance to sulfur poisoning, a characteristic attributed to its unique crystal structure and electron distribution that impedes sulfate formation. This study offers valuable insights into the design of robust, sulfur-resistant catalysts for the control of industrial CO emissions.