A series of Mn-W/CeO2 catalysts were synthesized by employing Ce-NO-R nanorods [Ce(NO3)(3). 6H(2)O as the precursor] and Ce-Cl-C nanocubes and Ce-Cl-R nanorods (CeCl3 center dot 7H(2)O as the precursor) as the supports, and their structures and catalytic performances in NOx removal were investigated. TEM results demonstrate that the morphology of the CeO2 species is associated with the Ce precursor. The activity results show that the NOu conversion in Mn-W/Ce-NO-R is greater than 96% at 150 degrees C, which is much higher than those in Mn-W/Ce-Cl-R and Mn-W/Ce-Cl-C. At the same time, Mn-W/Ce-NO-R exhibits strong SO2 tolerance and excellent H2O resistance. DFT modeling shows that NO adsorbs over Mn-W/Ce-NO-R{110} by forming ONO*, whereas NO prefers to adsorb on the 0 vacancies in Mn-W/Ce-Cl-C{100}. Moreover, the superior catalytic performance of Mn-W/Ce-NO-R is associated with its greater amounts of surface Ce3+ and Mn4+ species, surface acid sites, and active oxygen species, resulting in the promotion of the reactions according to the Langmuir-Hinshelwood and Eley-Rideal mechanisms.