Regulating the interaction between PdCu bimetals and MgAl1.82Ce0.18O4 spinel for three-way catalysis

Three-way catalysis represents a pivotal technology for converting automobile exhaust pollutants into non-toxic gases. Substituting some noble metals with transition metals is considered a promising way to reduce catalyst costs. Herein, we have investigated the catalytic potential of different configurations of Pd-Cu catalysts prepared by impregnation (PdCu/MA), sol-gel (PdCu-MA), impregnation with physical mixing (Pd/Cu/MA) and sol-gel with physical mixing (Pd/Cu-MA) to modify the interaction of Pd/Cu and MgAl1.82Ce0.18O4 (MA) spinel in this comparative study. The different structures in these catalysts lead to different catalytic performances. PdCu/MA exhibits the best three-way catalytic performance, which owe to the small-sized PdCu particles with high Pd2+ content (45.3%) and optimal interaction of Pd/Cu particles and MgAl1.82Ce0.18O4 support. Furthermore, comprehensive CO-DRIFTS, H2-TPR, and O2-TPD analyses discover that the metal-support interaction is beneficial to enhance the catalytic performance in three-way catalysis. Overall, we demonstrated that the interaction between PdCu bimetals and support can regulate the electronic state of Pd, thereby enhancing the use and efficiency of noble metals.