The aim of this work was to improve the catalytic activity and stability of Cu0.13Ce0.87Oy catalyst for acetone combustion by varying the preparation route. Nanocrystalline Cu0.13Ce0.87Oy catalyst was prepared by a co-precipitation method combined with a supercritical drying technique and calcination steps. The effect of calcination temperature on the structural feature and the catalytic behavior of the Cu0.13Ce0.87Oy catalyst was examined in order to obtain the best catalytic performance and identify any factor that may be favorable for acetone combustion. The structural characteristics of the catalysts calcined at different temperatures were investigated in detail by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) techniques. The experimental results revealed that the structure and catalytic performance of the as-prepared Cu0.13Ce0.87Oy catalyst were dependent on the calcination temperature. The catalyst calcined at 700 degrees C exhibited the best catalytic activity for acetone combustion and could catalyze the complete combustion of acetone at a temperature as low as 200 degrees C with almost 100% CO2 selectivity. The endurance tests showed that the developed catalysts calcined from 400 to 700 degrees C possessed good stability for acetone combustion over 50 h of continuous operation despite their different stability behaviors under the present experimental conditions. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.