Microwave direct denitration for synthesis of Cu-Ce-Zr-O composite oxide and its characterization

A Cu-Ce-Zr-O composite oxide was synthesized by microwave direct denitration (MDD) and citric acid (CA) methods, with the latter used as an experimental control. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that MDD facilitated the formation of a highly homogeneous Cu-Ce-Zr-O composite oxide. The specific surface area and oxygen release rate of the MDD product were 2.2–2.4 and 1.4–1.7 times larger than those of the CA product, respectively, whereas the oxygen storage capacity of the former product was slightly lower than that of the latter. Consequently, it was concluded that MDD did not significantly improve catalytic performance, although it reduced synthesis time and simplified the synthesis process. [Display omitted] •Cu-Ce-Zr-O complex oxide was synthesized via microwave direct denitration (MDD).•Cu-Ce-Zr-O synthesized via the citric acid method served as a control.•Oxygen storage capacity was investigated to evaluate catalytic performance.•The MDD method did not significantly affect catalytic performance.•Cu-Ce-Zr-O synthesis was simpler and faster using the MDD method.