X-ray absorption spectroscopy study of CuO-NiO/CeO-ZrO oxides: redox characterization and its effect in catalytic performance for partial oxidation of methane.

In this work we analyze the effect of adding CuO to a NiO/CeZrO oxide by X-ray absorption near-edge structure XANES technique in Ce L3, Ni K and Cu K absorption edges in terms of sample reducibility and catalytic activity. The oxidation states of Ce, Ni and Cu cations are followed up during temperature programmed reduction (TPR) experiments in diluted hydrogen and during catalytic tests for partial oxidation of methane (POM) reaction. Redox behavior was correlated to conventional fixed bed reactor results.