A catalytic converter with excellent OSC performance and NO.sub.x purification performance. The catalytic converter includes a substrate with a cell structure and catalyst layer. The catalyst layer includes lower and upper catalyst layers. The upper catalyst layer includes a zirconia compound support with rhodium carried thereon that contains zirconia, lanthanum oxide, and yttrium oxide; an alumina compound without rhodium carried thereon that contains alumina and lanthanum oxide; and a ceria-zirconia-based composite oxide containing ceria, zirconia, lanthanum oxide, and neodymium oxide. The lower catalyst layer includes an alumina compound support with platinum carried thereon that contains alumina and lanthanum oxide that are the same materials as those of the alumina compound of the upper catalyst layer; and a ceria-zirconia-based composite oxide without platinum carried thereon that contains ceria, zirconia, lanthanum oxide, and neodymium oxide that are the same materials as those of the ceria-zirconia-based composite oxide of the upper catalyst layer.

Described are catalyst composites containing mechanically fused components, methods of making the catalyst composites, and methods of using the catalyst composites such as in pollution abatement applications. The catalyst composites contain a core and a shell at least substantially covering the core, the shell mechanically fused to the core and comprising particles mechanically fused to each other, wherein a size ratio of the core to particles of the shell is at least about 10:1.

A NOx trap comprises components comprising at least one platinum group metal, at least one NOx storage material and bulk ceria or a bulk cerium-containing mixed oxide deposited uniformly in a first layer on a honeycombed substrate monolith, the components in the first layer having a first, upstream, zone having increased activity relative to a second, downstream zone for oxidising hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide, and a second, downstream, zone having increased activity to generate heat during a desulphation event, relative to the first zone, wherein the second zone comprises a dispersion of rare earth oxide, wherein the rare earth oxide loading in the second zone is greater than the loading in the first zone. An exhaust system for a lean burn internal combustion engine, a vehicle comprising a lean burn internal combustion engine and the exhaust system and methods of making the NOx trap are also disclosed.

An exhaust gas purify catalyst includes a substrate (1), an oxidation catalyst layer (2) formed on the substrate (1) and containing zeolite and at least one catalytic metal, an LNT layer (3) formed on the oxidation catalyst layer (2) and containing an NO.sub.x storage material and at least one catalytic metal, and an NO.sub.x reduction layer (4) formed on the LNT layer (3) and containing Rh acting as a catalytic metal and at least one of alumina or zirconia, wherein the NO.sub.x reduction layer (4) has a larger content of Rh than that in each of the oxidation catalyst layer (2) and the LNT layer (3).

A catalyst 20 provided for a filter body for combusting PM contains activated aluminas 21 and 22, active-oxygen-release materials 23 and 24, catalytic metal 25, and alkali earth metal 26. The alkali earth metal 26 is loaded on each of the activated aluminas 21 and 22, and the active-oxygen-release materials 23 and 24. A percentage by mass of the alkali earth metal 26, loaded on the active-oxygen-release materials 23 and 24, to the active-oxygen-release material is smaller than a percentage by mass of the alkali earth metal 26, loaded on the activated aluminas 21 and 22, to the activated alumina.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a catalyst for exhaust gas purification, which is capable of effectively processing an exhaust gas, particularly carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) in the exhaust gas at a low temperature, and a method for producing the catalyst for exhaust gas purification. The purpose is achieved by a catalyst for exhaust gas purification, which is obtained by having a carrier that contains Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and one or more metal oxides selected from the group consisting of zirconium oxide (ZrO.sub.2), cerium oxide (CeO.sub.2), yttrium oxide (Y.sub.2O.sub.3), neodymium oxide (Nd.sub.2O.sub.3), silicon oxide (SiO.sub.2) and titanium oxide (TiO.sub.2) support one or more catalyst components selected from the group consisting of gold (Au), silver (Ag), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), rhodium (Rh), iridium (Ir), ruthenium (Ru) and osmium (Os). The metal oxides have particle diameters of less than 10 nm.

An object of the present invention is to provide an exhaust gas purification catalyst having an improved NOx purification performance in a lean atmosphere; and a method for producing the same. The method for producing an exhaust gas purification catalyst according to the present invention includes sputtering a target material containing Nb and Rh to produce fine composite-metal particles containing Nb and Rh.

Synergized Platinum Group Metals (SPGM) catalyst system for TWC application is disclosed. Disclosed SPGM catalyst system may include a washcoat that includes stoichiometric CuMn spinel structure, supported on doped ZrO.sub.2, and an overcoat that includes PGM, such as platinum (Pt) supported on carrier material oxides, such as alumina. SPGM catalyst system shows significant improvement in nitrogen oxide reduction performance under lean and also rich operating conditions. Additionally, disclosed SPGM catalyst system exhibits enhanced catalytic activity for carbon monoxide conversion. Furthermore, disclosed SPGM catalyst systems are found to have enhanced catalytic activity compared to PGM catalyst system, showing that there is a synergistic effect between PGM catalyst, such as Pt, and CuMn spinel within disclosed SPGM catalyst system, which help in activity and thermal stability of disclosed SPGM catalyst.

An organic material decomposition catalyst that contains BaCO.sub.3 and a perovskite composite oxide represented by A.sub.xB.sub.yM.sub.zO.sub.w, wherein A contains Ba, B contains Zr, and M denotes Mn. A peak intensity I(BaCO.sub.3(111)) of BaCO.sub.3(111) of the BaCO.sub.3 and a peak intensity I(BaZrO.sub.3(110)) of a perovskite composite oxide A.sub.xB.sub.yM.sub.zO.sub.w(110) of the perovskite composite oxide represented by A.sub.xB.sub.yM.sub.zO.sub.w, each determined by X-ray diffractometry of the organic material decomposition catalyst, have a ratio I(BaCO.sub.3(111))/I(BaZrO.sub.3(110)) in a range of 0.022 to 0.052. In another aspect, in the perovskite composite oxide represented by A.sub.xB.sub.yM.sub.zO.sub.w, 1.01x1.06, 0.1z0.125, and y+z=1 are satisfied, w denotes a positive value that satisfies electroneutrality, and the organic material decomposition catalyst has a specific surface area in the range of 12.3 to 16.9 m.sup.2/g.

An exhaust gas purification catalyst is disposed in an exhaust gas channel of an engine and includes a catalytic layer 22 provided on a substrate 21. The catalytic layer 22 contains multiple types of -aluminas 23 and 24 which are different in composition and Pt 25 loaded on the multiple types of -aluminas 23 and 24.