Catalytic applications of ceo2-based materials

Among the metal-oxides, ceria represents one of the most promising materials for chemical transformations mainly for environmental applications and energy conversion systems. The fundamental interest in, and commercial applications of, cerium oxide as a catalytic material is due to its high abundance in the Earth’s crust; Cerium is the most abundant of the so-called rare-earth elements, and is more abundant than copper or nickel [1]. Relatively low cost and unique properties, such as high oxygen storage capacity and mobility, acid–base properties and the ability to form solid solutions with a large variety of metals, are other key features in its successful application [2]. The great scientific interest is also due to the possibility to control the final morphology and size of the ceria materials through improved synthetic methods