[Ce³⁺-O_V-Ce⁴⁺] Located Surface-Distributed Sheet Cu-Zn-Ce Catalysts for Methanol Production by CO₂ Hydrogenation

The metal-support interaction is crucial for the performance of Cu-based catalysts. However, the distinctive properties of the support metal element itself are often overlooked in catalyst design. In this paper, a sheet Cu-Zn-Ce with [Ce³⁺-O_V-Ce⁴⁺] located on the surface was designed by the sol-gel method. Through EPR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the relationship between the content of oxygen vacancies and Ce was revealed. Ce itself induces the generation of [Ce³⁺-O_V-Ce⁴⁺]. Through ICP-MS, XPS, and SEM-mapping, the Ce-induced formation of [Ce³⁺-O_V-Ce⁴⁺] located on the catalyst surface was demonstrated. CO₂-TPD and DFT calculations further revealed that [Ce³⁺-O_V-Ce⁴⁺] enhanced CO₂ adsorption, leading to a 10% increase in methanol selectivity compared to Cu-Zn-Ce synthesized via the coprecipitation method.