Modulating the operation temperature window of CO preferential oxidation in H 2 -rich gases on three dimensionally ordered macroporous CeO 2 –CuO catalysts by tuning their composition and incooperating Fe 2 O 3 and Co 3 O 4

Three dimensionally ordered (3DOM) copper-ceria based catalysts (CeO2–CuO, CeO2–CuO–Fe2O3, and CeO2–CuO–Co3O4) with diverse Ce/Cu atomic ratios and different doping amounts of Fe2O3 and Co3O4 are synthesized via a precursor thermal decomposition-assisted colloidal crystal templating method. The as-obtained CeO2–CuO, CeO2–CuO–Fe2O3 and CeO2–CuO–Co3O4 catalysts possess three dimensionally ordered macroporous structures. And their particle sizes, chemical compositions, and surface elemental states are investigated according to the variations of Ce/Cu atomic ratios and doping amounts of Fe2O3 and Co3O4. The catalytic performance of CO preferential oxidation in H2-rich gases over 3DOM CeO2–CuO, CeO2–CuO–Fe2O3, and CeO2–CuO–Co3O4 catalysts are mainly relevant to their particle sizes, chemical compositions, surface states, and synergetic interactions between different components. By modulating the Ce/Cu atomic ratios and the doping amounts of Fe2O3 and Co3O4, the superior catalytic performance of 3DOM CeO2–CuO catalysts with high CO conversion, CO2 selectivity and longer-term stability in a wide operation temperature window is achieved. This synthetic strategy provides a new methodology for the fabrication of 3DOM structured highly efficient catalysts, which would be very useful in the actual working conditions for proton exchange membrane fuel cells and water-gas shift reactions.