Cu–Ce Dual–Atom Sites Embedded in Zeolites Boost Resistance to Impurity Interference for Environmental Catalysis

Yanqi Chen; Penglu Wang; Wenqiang Qu; Yongjie Shen; Ya Tang; Edoardo Mariani; Yongbo Ni; Xiaonan Hu; Fuli Wang; Jin Zhang; Dengchao Peng; Xue Ding; Ming Xie; Yuejin Li; Emiliano Cortes; Dengsong Zhang

doi:10.1002/anie.202517918

Cu–Ce Dual–Atom Sites Embedded in Zeolites Boost Resistance to Impurity Interference for Environmental Catalysis

Yanqi Chen
, Penglu Wang
, Wenqiang Qu
, Yongjie Shen
, Ya Tang
, Edoardo Mariani
, Yongbo Ni
, Xiaonan Hu
, Fuli Wang
, Jin Zhang
, Dengchao Peng
, Xue Ding
, Ming Xie
, Yuejin Li
, Emiliano Cortes
, Dengsong Zhang

Shanghai University
University of Toronto
Hokkaido University
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
State Key Laboratory of Advanced Special Steel
BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

11 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

Biodiesel, a carbon-neutral alternative to fossil fuels, plays a vital role in decarbonizing transportation, with global production exceeding 40 million tons annually. However, its widespread use introduces elevated phosphorus and metal cations into vehicle exhaust, severely deactivating Cu-SSZ-13 catalysts for NO_X reduction through pore blockage, framework degradation, and Cu sites loss. We present a Cu–Ce dual-atom catalyst embedded in SSZ-13 that maintains high performance in ammonia-selective catalytic reduction under phosphorus-rich conditions. Ce species, precisely positioned in eight-membered rings, displace P-sensitive [ZCu²⁺OH]⁺ sites, enriching the catalyst with P-tolerant Z₂Cu²⁺ species in six-membered rings. Concurrent Ce─P interactions restore the electronic environment of Cu sites, enhancing NH₃/NO adsorption and redox cycling. This design sustains 90% NO_X conversion and 100% N₂ selectivity at 210 °C, even after phosphorus exposure. The strategy is broadly applicable to impurity-sensitive environmental reactions, including NH₃ oxidation and the coupled removal of NO_X with VOCs, offering a practical pathway to durable, poison-resistant catalysts for clean and sustainable mobility.

Original language	English
Article number	e202517918
Journal	Angewandte Chemie - International Edition
Volume	64
Issue number	49
Early online date	11 Oct 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202517918
Publication status	Published - 1 Dec 2025

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Funding

This work is in part supported by BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions. The authors acknowledge the support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22125604, 22436003, 22476122, 22276119), Science & Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (23230713700, 24230711600), and Shanghai Oriental Talents-Technology Platform Program (QNKJ2024037). The authors acknowledge the funding and support from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany´s Excellence Strategy – EXC 2089/1–390776260, the Bavarian program Solar Technologies Go Hybrid (SolTech), and the Center for NanoScience (CeNS). E.M. acknowledges the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes program for a doctoral fellowship at LMU. The authors also thank Pengfei Hu from Instrumental analysis and research center of Shanghai University for conducting the AC-HAADF-STEM characterization. The pair distribution function (PDF)/XAFS of solid samples were conducted at room temperature using a Debye−Scherrer camera installed at the BL17B (λ = 0.7081(1) Å) beamline at the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (Proposal No. 2023-NFPS-PT-500779). Open access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. This work is in part supported by BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions. The authors acknowledge the support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22125604, 22436003, 22476122, 22276119), Science & Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (23230713700, 24230711600), and Shanghai Oriental Talents‐Technology Platform Program (QNKJ2024037). The authors acknowledge the funding and support from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany´s Excellence Strategy – EXC 2089/1–390776260, the Bavarian program Solar Technologies Go Hybrid (SolTech), and the Center for NanoScience (CeNS). E.M. acknowledges the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes program for a doctoral fellowship at LMU. The authors also thank Pengfei Hu from Instrumental analysis and research center of Shanghai University for conducting the AC‐HAADF‐STEM characterization. The pair distribution function (PDF)/XAFS of solid samples were conducted at room temperature using a Debye−Scherrer camera installed at the BL17B ( = 0.7081(1) Å) beamline at the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (Proposal No. 2023‐NFPS‐PT‐500779). λ

Funders	Funder number
Shanghai University
Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences
BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions
Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes
Shanghai Oriental Talents-Technology Platform Program
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Shanghai Oriental Talents‐Technology Platform Program	QNKJ2024037
National Natural Science Foundation of China	22476122, 22436003, 22276119, 22125604
Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility	2023-NFPS-PT-500779
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)	EXC 2089/1–390776260
Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality	24230711600, 23230713700

Keywords

Dual-atom sites
Environmental catalysis
Impurity interference
Resistance
Zeolite

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Catalysis
General Chemistry

Access to Document

10.1002/anie.202517918Licence: CC BY

Cite this

Chen, Y., Wang, P., Qu, W., Shen, Y., Tang, Y., Mariani, E., Ni, Y., Hu, X., Wang, F., Zhang, J., Peng, D., Ding, X., Xie, M., Li, Y., Cortes, E., & Zhang, D. (2025). Cu–Ce Dual–Atom Sites Embedded in Zeolites Boost Resistance to Impurity Interference for Environmental Catalysis. Angewandte Chemie - International Edition, 64(49), Article e202517918. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202517918

Chen, Y, Wang, P, Qu, W, Shen, Y, Tang, Y, Mariani, E, Ni, Y, Hu, X, Wang, F, Zhang, J, Peng, D, Ding, X, Xie, M, Li, Y, Cortes, E & Zhang, D 2025, 'Cu–Ce Dual–Atom Sites Embedded in Zeolites Boost Resistance to Impurity Interference for Environmental Catalysis', Angewandte Chemie - International Edition, vol. 64, no. 49, e202517918. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202517918

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abstract = "Biodiesel, a carbon-neutral alternative to fossil fuels, plays a vital role in decarbonizing transportation, with global production exceeding 40 million tons annually. However, its widespread use introduces elevated phosphorus and metal cations into vehicle exhaust, severely deactivating Cu-SSZ-13 catalysts for NOX reduction through pore blockage, framework degradation, and Cu sites loss. We present a Cu–Ce dual-atom catalyst embedded in SSZ-13 that maintains high performance in ammonia-selective catalytic reduction under phosphorus-rich conditions. Ce species, precisely positioned in eight-membered rings, displace P-sensitive [ZCu2+OH]+ sites, enriching the catalyst with P-tolerant Z2Cu2⁺ species in six-membered rings. Concurrent Ce─P interactions restore the electronic environment of Cu sites, enhancing NH3/NO adsorption and redox cycling. This design sustains 90\% NOX conversion and 100\% N2 selectivity at 210 °C, even after phosphorus exposure. The strategy is broadly applicable to impurity-sensitive environmental reactions, including NH3 oxidation and the coupled removal of NOX with VOCs, offering a practical pathway to durable, poison-resistant catalysts for clean and sustainable mobility.",

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AU - Chen, Yanqi

AU - Wang, Penglu

AU - Qu, Wenqiang

AU - Shen, Yongjie

AU - Tang, Ya

AU - Mariani, Edoardo

AU - Ni, Yongbo

AU - Hu, Xiaonan

AU - Wang, Fuli

AU - Zhang, Jin

AU - Peng, Dengchao

AU - Ding, Xue

AU - Xie, Ming

AU - Li, Yuejin

AU - Cortes, Emiliano

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KW - Environmental catalysis

KW - Impurity interference

KW - Resistance

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Cu–Ce Dual–Atom Sites Embedded in Zeolites Boost Resistance to Impurity Interference for Environmental Catalysis

Abstract

Data Availability Statement

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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