Regulating the surface of nanoceria and its applications in heterogeneous catalysis

Ceria (CeO₂) as a support, additive, and active component for heterogeneous catalysis has been demonstrated to have great catalytic performance, which includes excellent thermal structural stability, catalytic efficiency, and chemoselectivity. Understanding the surface properties of CeO₂ and the chemical reactions occurred on the corresponding interfaces is of great importance in the rational design of heterogeneous catalysts for various reactions. In general, the reversible Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺ redox pair and the surface acid-base properties contribute to the superior intrinsic catalytic capability of CeO₂, and hence yield enhanced catalytic phenomenon in many reactions. Particularly, nanostructured CeO₂ is characterized by a large number of surface-bound defects, which are primarily oxygen vacancies, as the surface active catalytic sites. Many efforts have therefore been made to control the surface defects and properties of CeO₂ by various synthetic strategies and post-treatments. The present review provides a comprehensive overview of recent progress in regulating the surface structure and composition of CeO₂ and its applications in catalysis.