Impact of Gd-, La-, Nd- and Y-Doping on the Textural, Electrical Conductivity and N2O Decomposition Activity of CuO Catalyst

In this paper, a series of rare earth (Gd, La, Nd, and Y) doped CuO catalysts have been successfully prepared by using the microwave assisted co-precipitation method and tested for N2O direct decomposition. The decomposition pathway of the catalysts precursors was followed up using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Several physico-chemical techniques were used in the characterization of the obtained catalysts including XRD, FT-IR, FE-SEM, TEM, N2 adsorption, XPS, and H2-TPR. Structural analysis revealed the formation of nanocrystalline monoclinic CuO as a major phase in all the prepared catalysts together with minor amount of the rare earth oxides. FE-SEM and TEM observations revealed the smaller crystallites sized of the rare earth-containing catalysts compared to the bare CuO one. All the rare earth-doped CuO catalysts showed higher activity and improved electrical conductivity compared to the bare CuO. The activity enhancement of the added rare earth oxides were discussed in terms of the electrical conductivity as well as the structural characterization results.