In this paper, ceria supported on sulfated zirconia (CeSZ) as a superacid catalyst was synthesized and the resulted performances for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH3 were investigated. Experimental results revealed that the sulfation of zirconia supports could greatly improve the SCR activity of the catalysts. Among the tested samples, the CeSZ catalyst with Ce/Zr mole ratio at 0.095 possessed the highest NO conversion (i.e., 98.6% at ca. 420 degrees C and 180,000 h(-1)). The sulfation had led to a formation of pure tetragonal phase of ZrO2, a well dispersion of CeO2, abundant stable superacid sites, increasing surface area and enrichment of Ce3+ on the surface, all of which were responsible for its excellent performance in SCR of NO with NH3. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.