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A homogeneous ceria-based mixed-metal oxide, useful as a catalyst support, a co-catalyst and/or a getter has a relatively large surface area per weight, typically exceeding 150 m2/g, a structure of nanocrystallites having diameters of less than 4 nm, and including pores larger than the nanocrystalli

A homogeneous ceria-based mixed-metal oxide, useful as a catalyst support, a co-catalyst and/or a getter has a relatively large surface area per weight, typically exceeding 150 m2/g, a structure of nanocrystallites having diameters of less than 4 nm, and including pores larger than the nanocrystallites and having diameters in the range of 4 to about 9 nm. The ratio of pore volumes, VP, to skeletal structure volumes, VS, is typically less than about 2.5, and the surface area per unit volume of the oxide material is greater than 320 m2/cm3, for low internal mass transfer resistance and large effective surface area for reaction activity. The mixed metal oxide is ceria-based, includes Zr and or Hf, and is made by a novel co-precipitation process. A highly dispersed catalyst metal, typically a noble metal such as Pt, may be loaded on to the mixed metal oxide support from a catalyst metal-containing solution following a selected acid surface treatment of the oxide support. Appropriate ratioing of the Ce and other metal constituents of the oxide support contribute to it retaining in a cubic phase and enhancing catalytic performance. Rhenium is preferably further loaded on to the mixed-metal oxide support and passivated, to increase the activity of the catalyst. The metal-loaded mixed-metal oxide catalyst is applied particularly in water gas shift reactions as associated with fuel processing systems, as for fuel cells.

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What is claimed is: 1. A catalyst for facilitating a water gas shift reaction, the catalyst comprising a noble metal on a mixed metal oxide, said mixed metal oxide comprising a homogeneous, nanocrystalline, mixed metal oxide of cerium and at least one other metal constituent selected from the group

What is claimed is: 1. A catalyst for facilitating a water gas shift reaction, the catalyst comprising a noble metal on a mixed metal oxide, said mixed metal oxide comprising a homogeneous, nanocrystalline, mixed metal oxide of cerium and at least one other metal constituent selected from the group consisting of Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Mo, W, Re, Rh, Sb, Bi, Ti, V, Mn, Co, Cu, Ga, Ca, Sr and Ba, said mixed metal oxide having a surface area of at least about 150 m2/g, an average crystallite size less than 4 nm and agglomerated to form a skeletal structure with pores, average pore diameters being greater than 4 nm and normally being greater than the average crystallite size, and wherein the surface area of the skeletal structure per volume of the mixed metal oxide is greater than about 320 m2/cm3. 2. The catalyst of claim 1 additionally containing Re on the mixed metal oxide with the noble metal. 3. The catalyst of claim 1 wherein the noble metal is platinum. 4. The catalyst of claim 3 additionally containing Re on the mixed metal oxide with the platinum, the Re being in the range of 0.5 to 6.0 wt % of the mixed metal oxide with the platinum. 5. A catalyst for facilitating a water gas shift reaction, the catalyst comprising a noble metal on a mixed metal oxide, said mixed metal oxide comprising a homogeneous, nanocrystalline, mixed metal oxide of cerium and at least one other metal constituent selected from the group consisting of Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Mo, W, Re, Rh, Sb, Bi, Ti, V, Mn, Co, Cu, Ga, Ca, Sr and Ba, said mixed metal oxide having a surface area of at least about 150 m2/g, an average crystallite size less than 4 nm and agglomerated to form a skeletal structure with pores, average pore diameters being greater than 4 nm and normally being greater than the average crystallite size, and wherein the surface area of the skeletal structure per volume of the mixed metal oxide is greater than about 320 m2/cm3, the mixed metal oxide having been prepared by a process including: a. dissolving urea and salts of the Ce and the at least one other constituent in water to form a dilute metal salt solution; b. heating the solution to near boiling and coprecipitating homogeneously an oxide of the Ce and the at least one other constituent as a nanocrystalline coprecipitate; c. replacing water existing in the coprecipitate with a water miscible, low surface-tension solvent that displaces water; d. drying the coprecipitate to remove substantially all of any remaining water and the solvent; and e. calcining the dried coprecipitate at a moderate temperature for an interval sufficient to remove adsorbed impurities. 6. The catalyst of claim 5 wherein the noble metal is platinum. 7. The catalyst of claim 6 additionally containing Re on the mixed metal oxide with the platinum, the Re being in the range of 0.5 to 6.0 wt % of the mixed metal oxide with the platinum. 8. A catalyst comprising a catalyst metal disposed on a a catalyst support, the catalyst support being a mixed metal oxide comprising a homogeneous, nanocrystalline, mixed metal oxide of cerium and at least one other metal constituent selected from the group consisting of Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Mo, W, Re, Rh, Sb, Bi, Ti, V, Mn, Co, Cu, Ga, Ca, Sr and Ba, said mixed metal oxide having a surface area of at least about 150 m2/g, an average crystallite size less than 4 nm and agglomerated to form a skeletal structure with pores, average pore diameters being greater than 4 nm and normally being greater than the average crystallite size, and wherein the surface area of the skeletal structure per volume of the mixed metal oxide is greater than about 320 m2/cm3, the catalyst consisting of a highly dispersed metal, including at least a noble metal, loaded on the mixed metal oxide and having a concentration in the range of about 0.1 to about 6.0 percent by weight. 9. The catalyst of claim 8 wherein the noble metal has crystallites that are predominantly less than 2.5 nm. 10. The catalyst of claim 9 wherein the noble metal is platinum. 11. The catalyst of claim 8 additionally including Re loaded on the mixed metal oxide with the noble metal. 12. The catalyst of claim 11 wherein the noble metal is platinum having crystallites that are predominantly less than 2.5 nm in size and the Re is present in an amount in the range of 0.5 to 6.0 wt % of the mixed metal oxide with the platinum. 13. The catalyst of claim 11 wherein the Re on the mixed metal oxide with the noble metal is passivated. 14. A process for the preparation of the catalyst defined in accordance with claim 8, comprising the steps of: a) contacting the mixed metal oxide with a solution containing an acid selected from the group consisting of amino acids, hydroxy dicarboxylic acids, hydroxy polycarboxylic acids, and keto polycarboxcylic acids to treat the surface of the mixed metal oxide; and b) loading the surface-treated, mixed metal oxide with the noble metal by contacting the surface-treated mixed metal oxide with a solution containing the noble metal to form the catalyst. 15. The process according to claim 14 wherein the acid selected for surface treating the mixed metal oxide is selected from the group consisting of malic acid and citric acid. 16. The process according to claim 14 wherein the noble metal is platinum and the solution is tetraamineplatinum nitrate. 17. The process according to claim 14 wherein the step a) of surface treating the mixed metal oxide comprises: i. heating the mixed metal oxide in an acid-containing solution of ethanol and the acid at a mild temperature of about 50° C. for about 2 hours, and ii. rinsing the mixed metal oxide with ethanol until the pH is greater than 4; the step b) of loading the noble metal on the surface-treated mixed metal oxide comprises: i. submerging the mixed metal oxide in a solution of tetraamineplatinum nitrate having about 1 weight percent platinum, 1 weight percent ammonia hydroxide and 15 weight percent 2-propanol for about 2 hours at room temperature to metal load the mixed metal oxide and ii. filtering and drying the metal loaded mixed metal oxide; and including the further step of: c) calcining the metal loaded mixed metal oxide for up to about four hours at a heating rate of about 2° C./hr to a calcining temperature in the range of about 250°-600° C. 18. The process according to claim 17 wherein the calcining temperature to which the metal-loaded mixed metal oxide is heated is in the range of about 400°-500° C. 19. The process according to claim 14 including the additional preliminary steps of: a. selecting an acid from said group of acids; b. titrating a sample solution containing the mixed metal oxide with a titrant solution containing a known concentration of said acid until an equivalence point is determined at which the pH remains substantially unchanged with the further addition of said titrant solution; and c. selecting the amount of acid in the surface treating solution as a function of the quantity of the mixed metal oxide and of said equivalence point determined by said titrating step. 20. A process for the preparation of the catalyst defined in accordance with claim 11, comprising the steps of: a. surface treating the mixed metal oxide; b. loading the surface-treated mixed metal oxide with the noble metal; c. placing the noble metal-loaded mixed metal oxide in a solution; d. introducing a source of Re in solution to the solution containing the mixed metal oxide with noble metal; e. reducing, with dilute H2, the Re and noble metal; and f. removing liquid phase of combined solutions to provide the Re and noble metal-loaded mixed metal oxide catalyst. 21. The process of claim 20 including the further step of passivating the surface of the solid Re and noble metal-loaded mixed metal oxide. 22. The process of claim 21 wherein the passivation step comprises flowing a stream of dilute oxygen in inert gas into contact with the solid Re and noble metal-loaded mixed metal oxide. 23. A water gas shift reaction catalyst comprising Re and Pt loaded on to a ceria-based mixed-metal oxide wherein the concentration of Re is in the range of 0.5 to 6.0 wt % and the concentration of Pt is in the range of 0.1 to 6.0 wt % of the ceria-based mixed-metal oxide.