Impacts of CuO x additive on the CO oxidation activity and related surface and bulk properties of a NANO-CeO 2 Catalyst A. Bumajdad • M. A. Hasan • M. I. Zaki • G. A. H. Mekhemer • L. Pasupulety • A. Mathew Received: 16 July 2009 / Accepted: 14 January 2010 / Published online: 9 February 2010 Ó Akade ´miai Kiado ´, Budapest, Hungary 2010 Abstract Nano-particle, pure and CuO x -modified, fluorite-structured cubic-CeO 2 were successfully synthesized with surface areas near 240 m 2 /g applying a micro- emulsion method with mixed templating surfactants (viz. DDAB and Brij Ò 35). Following calcination at 400–800 °C, the products were characterized by X-ray powder diffractometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and, then, tested as catalysts for methylbutynol decomposition and CO oxidation in the gas phase. Results obtained showed the pure and CuO x -modified cerias to exhibit comparable activities towards the alcohol decomposition into acetone and acetylene, but the modified ceria exhibited consid- erably higher activity towards the CO oxidation than the pure one. The calcination product of CuO x -modified ceria at 800 °C was capable of lowering the light-off temperature of the CO oxidation from 300 °C (on the pure) down to 70 °C. Surface chemical consequences of the CuO x -modification, viz. increasing the Ce(III)/Ce(IV) atomic ratio, as well as the establishment of Cu(I) and Cu(II) sites, have been allocated the responsibility of the observed upsurge of the CO oxidation activity. Keywords Nanoparticle ceria Á Nanoparticle CuO x -modified ceria Á Microemulsion-based synthesis Á Microemulsion templating Á Methylbutynol decomposition activity Á CO oxidation activity A. Bumajdad (&) Á M. A. Hasan Á L. Pasupulety Á A. Mathew Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5969, 13060 Safat, Kuwait e-mail: a.bumajdad@ku.edu.kw M. I. Zaki (&) Á G. A. H. Mekhemer Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Minia University, El-Minia 61519, Egypt e-mail: mizaki@link.net 123 Reac Kinet Mech Cat (2010) 99:345–359 DOI 10.1007/s11144-010-0151-9