Preparation of Nano-TiO2 by Ethanol-Thermal Method and Its Catalytic Performance for Synthesis of Dibutyl Carbonate by Transesterification

Abstract

The preparation of nano-TiO2 powder by the ethanol-thermal method at atmospheric pressure using ethanol as the solvent, H2TiO3 as the precursor, and NH3·H2O, NaOH or KOH as the mineralizer was studied. The X-ray diffraction result shows that the structure of TiO2 is anatase, and with the increase in mineralizer alkalinity, the average diameter of TiO2 becomes smaller, and the crystallinity of TiO2 becomes higher. The diameter and crystallinity of TiO2 affect its catalytic activity for the synthesis of dibutyl carbonate (DBC) from dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and n-butyl alcohol. The anatase TiO2 obtained from KOH exhibits the highest catalytic activity, giving 61.9% conversion of DMC, 100% selectivity for DBC, and 61.9% yield of DBC. The catalyst activity remains almost unchanged through four reuses.