Synthesis and Catalytic Performance of CuO Inverse Catalysts for Carbon Monoxide Oxidation

Copper-based catalysts have attracted considerable attention in various industrial catalytic reactions due to their low cost, high activity, and earth abundance. However, fully understanding the structure−property relationship, especially the role of Cu species and interfacial effects, remains a major challenge in traditional powdered catalyst systems. In this study, an inverse CuO catalyst, which was composed of monoclinic CuO nanosheets with the (111) plane and loaded with TiO 2 nanoparticles, was fabricated in a simple way to investigate the valence and interface effects. Catalytic performance evaluation revealed that CO oxidation activity of this inverse catalyst was positively correlated with the TiO 2 /CuO interface, with the x TOC-CuO ( x = 30%) catalyst showing the best performance. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that the CO oxidation followed a Mars−van Krevelen pathway in which the formation of Ti−O−Cu heterointerfaces not only promoted the generation of Cu + active sites but also supplied more active oxygen species for the reaction, which was identified as the key factor for the enhanced catalytic activity.