Pluronic F127-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of Ce_xZr_1−xO_y for room-temperature catalytic oxidation of formaldehyde

Using the anionic surfactant F127 as a structure-directing agent, a mesoporous-structured catalyst FCe_xZr_1-xOy was prepared via a hydrothermal method. This catalyst was employed for the catalytic oxidation of formaldehyde at room temperature. The effects of different F127 addition amounts, cerium-zirconium doping ratios, and calcination temperatures on the catalytic oxidation performance of formaldehyde at room temperature were investigated. The catalyst was characterized using BET, SEM, IR, XPS, XRD, and N₂ adsorption-desorption techniques. The results showed that when the F127 addition amount was 1.5 g and the calcination temperature was 500 ℃ different Ce/Zr doping ratios led to significant differences in the catalyst's grain size, Ce³⁺ content, and specific surface area. Among them, the FCe_0.5Zr_0.5 catalyst exhibited the highest Ce³⁺ content, the largest specific surface area of 111 m²/g, and the highest pore volume, as well as the best formaldehyde conversion rate within six hours. After the reaction, the oxygen vacancies, adsorbed oxygen, and specific surface area of the catalyst decreased significantly, while the lattice oxygen content increased, leading to catalyst deactivation.