A layered catalyst composite for the treatment of exhaust gas emissions, effective to provide lean NO.sub.x trap functionality and three-way conversion functionality is described. Layered catalyst composites can comprise catalytic material on a substrate, the catalytic material comprising at least two layers. The first layer comprising rare earth oxide-high surface area refractory metal oxide particles, an alkaline earth metal supported on the rare earth oxide-high surface area refractory metal oxide particles, and at least one first platinum group metal component supported on the rare earth oxide-high surface area refractory metal oxide particles. The second layer comprising a second platinum group metal component supported on a first oxygen storage component (OSC) and/or a first refractory metal oxide support and, optionally, a third platinum group metal supported on a second refractory metal oxide support or a second oxygen storage component.

An exhaust gas-purifying catalyst material includes first oxide particles having an average particle diameter D.sub.av of 1 μm to 95 μm and having an oxygen storage capacity, second oxide particles having an average particle diameter D.sub.av of 0.05 μm to 0.5 μm, containing a metal element, and having no oxygen storage capacity, precious metal particles, and acidic oxide particles. The material has a correlation coefficient ρ of 0.45 or more obtained using first characteristic X-ray intensity for the metal element contained in the second oxide particle, second characteristic X-ray intensity for an element other than oxygen contained in the acidic oxide particle, and third characteristic X-ray intensity for a precious metal element contained in the precious metal particle.

A process for preparing a catalyst material, includes: (a) providing a support material having surface hydroxyl (OH) groups, the support material is ceria (CeO.sub.2), zirconia (ZrO.sub.2) or a combination, and the support material contains between 0.3 and 2.0 mmol OH groups/g of the support material; (b) reacting the support material with at least one of: (b1) a compound containing at least one alkoxy or phenoxy group bound though its oxygen atom to a metal element from Group 5 (V, Nb, Ta) or Group 6 (Cr, Mo, W); (b2) a compound containing at least one hydrocarbon group bound though a carbon atom to a metal element from Group 5 or 6; (b3) a compound containing at least one hydrocarbon group bound though a carbon atom to a metal element which is copper (Cu); and (c) calcining the product obtained in step (b).

A process for preparing a catalyst material, includes the steps of: (a) providing a support material having surface hydroxyl (OH) groups, wherein the support material is ceria (CeO.sub.2), zirconia (ZrO.sub.2) or a combination of thereof; (b) reacting the support material having surface hydroxyl (OH) groups of step (a) with a precursor containing two transition metal atoms, each chosen independently from the group consisting of: W, Mo, Cr, Ta, Nb, V, Mn; (c) calcining the product obtained in step (b) in order to provide a catalyst material showing dual site surface species containing pairs of transition metal atoms derived from the precursor that are present in oxide form on the support material. Additionally, a catalyst material is obtained by the process set out above, and the catalyst material is used as an ammonia selective catalytic reduction (NH.sub.3-SCR) catalyst for nitrogen oxides (NOx) reduction.

To reduce an OSC material, while maintaining necessary OSC capacity; and to improve heat resistance and reactivity of a precious metal. Proposed is an exhaust gas purifying catalyst which comprises a first catalyst layer that is formed on the surface of a substrate that is formed of a ceramic or a metal, and a second catalyst layer that is formed on the upper side of the first catalyst layer. The first catalyst layer comprises a precious metal, an OSC material and an alumina, and the OSC material and the alumina are comprised at a mass ratio of OSC material:alumina=1:7 to 1:3. The second catalyst layer comprises a precious metal, an OSC material and an alumina, and the OSC material and the alumina are comprised at a mass ratio of OSC material:alumina=1:1 to 10:0.

The present invention discloses a preparation method of a catalyst with white carbon black modified by Zr—Nd—O and use thereof, and belongs to the field of catalyst technologies. In the present invention, an organic solvent evaporation induced self-assembly method is used to load Zr—Nd—O onto white carbon black to obtain a mesoporous Zr—Nd—O/white carbon black catalyst. The mesoporous Zr—Nd—O/white carbon black catalyst in the present invention has high catalytic activity, contains uniformly distributed mesopores with a relatively large average aperture, and has a simple preparation process, etc.

A process for preparing a catalyst comprising a zeolitic material comprising copper, the process comprising (i) preparing an aqueous mixture comprising water, a zeolitic material comprising copper, a source of copper other than the zeolitic material comprising copper, and a non-zeolitic oxidic material selected from the group consisting of alumina, silica, titania, zirconia, ceria, a mixed oxide comprising one or more of Al, Si, Ti, Zr, and Ce and a mixture of two or more thereof; (ii) disposing the mixture obtained in (i) on the surface of the internal walls of a substrate comprising an inlet end, an outlet end, a substrate axial length extending from the inlet end to the outlet end and a plurality of passages defined by internal walls of the substrate extending therethrough; and optionally drying the substrate comprising the mixture disposed thereon; (iii) calcining the substrate obtained in (ii).

Effect of the type of ZPGM material composition to improve thermal stability of ZPGM catalyst systems for TWC application is disclosed. ZPGM catalyst system samples are prepared and configured with washcoat on ceramic substrate, overcoat including doped Zirconia support oxide, and impregnation layer including either Cu.sub.1Mn.sub.2O.sub.4 spinel or Cu.sub.1Co.sub.1Mn.sub.1O.sub.4 spinel. Testing of ZPGM catalyst samples including variations of aging temperatures and different impregnation layer materials are developed under isothermal steady state sweep test condition for ZPGM catalyst systems to evaluate performance especially NO.sub.x conversions and level of thermal stability. As a result disclosed ZPGM catalyst systems with most suitable spinel that includes Cu.sub.1Co.sub.1Mn.sub.1O.sub.4 in impregnation layer exhibit high NOx conversion and significant improved thermal stability compare to Cu.sub.1Mn.sub.2O.sub.4 spinel, which is suitable for under floor and close coupled TWC application. The effect of adding Co to Cu—Mn spinel composition to improve thermal stability confirmed by TPR measurement.

A honeycomb filter includes a honeycomb structure having a porous partition wall disposed to surround a plurality of cells; and a plugging portion provided at one end of the cell, wherein the honeycomb structure has an inflow side region including a range of up to at least 30% with respect to the total length of the honeycomb structure with the inflow end face as the starting point and an outflow side region including a range of up to at least 20% with respect to the total length of the honeycomb structure with the outflow end face as the starting point, in the extending direction of the cell of the honeycomb structure, an average pore diameter of the partition wall in the inflow side region is 15 to 20 μm and an average pore diameter of the partition wall in the outflow side region is 9 to 14 μm.

The exhaust gas-purifying catalyst of the invention includes a noble metal, and crystallites that form CZ composite metal particles which serve as a carrier supporting the noble metal and contain at least zirconium (Zr) and cerium (Ce). The CZ composite oxide particles (crystallites) further contain crystal growth-suppressing fine particles which are fine metal particles comprising primarily a metallic element M that melts at 1,500° C. or above and which suppress crystal growth by the CZ composite oxide particles. The content of the metallic element M included in the CZ composite oxide particles, expressed in terms of the oxide thereof, is 0.5 mol % or less of the total oxide.