FURI | Spring 2019

Investigating Ceria Morphologies for the Platinum-Ceria Catalyst System

Catalytic converters are essential for reducing harmful automobile emissions of pollutants like carbon monoxide. Platinum-ceria is an important catalytic converter whose performance could be improved by exploring different nanostructures of ceria. By comparing the catalytic conversion of platinum on ceria rods, cubes, and octahedra, nanoscale morphology-related factors impacting catalytic performance will be identified. The various morphologies will be synthesized, confirmed with AC-TEM (aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy), and used in a carbon monoxide oxidation reaction. Analyzing platinum-ceria in this manner could lead to improved catalyst formations.