Abstract
Ceria-clay composite was prepared using a nonionic poly(ethylene oxide) surfactant. The preparative conditions with regard to the surfactant amount and calcination temperature were changed, to study their effects on the mesostructure of the ceria-clay composite. The specific surface area, pore diameter, and pore volume increased with increasing surfactant amount. The calcination temperature had little influence on the mesostructure up to 650℃, but the structure collapsed above 750℃. The crystallite size of ceria, estimated using the Scherrer's method, decreased with increasing surfactant amount, and increased with increasing calcination temperature above 750℃. The ceria-clay composite catalyzed the complete combustion of methanol at 300℃.
