Promoting effect of Rh-impregnation on Ag/CeO2 catalyst for soot oxidation

[Display omitted] •A series of Rh-impregnated CeO2 catalysts (Rh(x)Ce) were synthesized with various Rh amounts.•Rh incorporation increased the generation of highly active oxygen species (Oxn-).•The optimal amount of Rh on Ag/CeO2 enhanced the surface redox property and Oxn- generation.•A macroporous structure was introduced through morphology control to increase contact efficiency.•The Rh-impregnated Ag/CeO2 with macroporous structure greatly improved the catalytic performance. In this study, the effect of Rh on the catalytic properties of CeO2 was examined using a series of Rh-impregnated catalysts with different Rh loadings (Rh(x)Ce, x = 1, 2, 3, 5 wt%). The Rh species were highly dispersed over CeO2, and Rh(x)Ce exhibited higher soot oxidation activity than CeO2. In particular, the H2-TPR and O2-TPD profiles of the prepared catalysts indicated that Rh(2)Ce outperformed all other Rh(x)Ce catalysts owing to its high reducibility and desorption of active oxygen species at low temperatures. Moreover, an excessive Rh loadings resulted in an increase in the Rh3+/Rh0 and a decrease in the surface oxygen reducibility of the Rh(x)Ce catalysts. Subsequently, the promoting effect of Rh on the catalytic properties of Ag/CeO2 was evaluated using a Rh-impregnated Ag/CeO2 catalyst (Rh(2)Ag(5)Ce). The Rh species were well-dispersed over Ag/CeO2, and Rh(2)Ag(5)Ce presented a higher catalytic activity than the Ag/CeO2 catalyst. XPS analysis revealed that the interaction between Rh and Ag caused changes in the electronic states of Rh and Ag. Moreover, the soot-TPR and Raman spectra data revealed that the Rh(2)Ag(5)Ce catalyst could use active oxygen species at a lower temperature and generate a higher amount of reactive oxygen species than all other analyzed catalysts. Furthermore, macroporous Rh(2)Ag(5)Ce exhibited excellent activity, which was ascribed to the high soot-catalyst contact efficiency.