Dimethyl carbonate synthesis from CO2 and methanol over CeO2-ZrO2 catalyst

Abstract

CexZr1-xO2 catalysts with different Ce/Zr mole ratios were prepared by the sol-gel method and used for the direct synthesis of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) from CO2 and methanol. Among a series of CexZr1-xO2 catalysts, Ce0.8Zr02O2 catalyst exhibited the highest catalytic activity. Characterization results demonstrated that doping Zr into CeO2 can lead to the formation of the Ce-O-Zr solid solution, which would strengthen the interaction between ZrO2 and CeO2. Ce0.8Zr02O2 catalyst possessed the highest concentration of oxygen vacancy sites, thus exhibiting the highest activity for the direct synthesis of DMC.