Wet Impregnation Process Research Articles

Influencing Factors on the Wet Impregnation of Additive‐Manufactured Catalyst Support Structures

AbstractThe wet impregnation of additive manufactured aluminum oxide cylinders with platinum is investigated. The influence of five parameters on the penetration depth and the platinum loading is evaluated. A smaller penetration depth is obtained by increasing pH, sodium chloride concentration in the impregnation solution, decreasing impregnation solution volume, heating rate during subsequent calcination, and no vacuum during prewetting before the impregnation. A pH range of 2 to 4, a low chloride concentration, a small liquid volume, and no vacuum drawing lead to high platinum uptake. This investigation is crucial in understanding and optimizing the wet impregnation process, providing practical guidance for future research with more complex structures.

Visible‐Light Photocatalytic Activity of a Novel TiO2/g‐C3N4/CuFe2O4 Nanocomposite in Degradation Amoxicillin, Chlorpyrifos and Methylene Blue

AbstractA novel TiO2/g‐C3N4/CuFe2O4 nanocomposite is synthesized via a wet impregnation process and has been evaluated for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants such as Amoxicillin (Antibiotic), Chlorpyrifos (Pesticide), and Methylene blue (Dye) under dark and visible light conditions in water. The synthesis and its photocatalytic characterization of nanocomposite are analyzed using XRD, FT‐IR, HR‐SEM, TEM, EDS, XPS, UV‐Vis, DRS, PL, BET, EIS, VSM, and ESR analysis. Among the various organic pollutants analyzed using TiO2/g‐C3N4/CuFe2O4 to serve as a photocatalyst, the degradation of MB pollutant was significantly greater (99.5 %, k=0.0533 min−1) in comparison to the degradation of the AMX (97.6 %, k=0.0346 min−1) and CPF (97.3 %, k=0.0340 min−1) during visible light irradiation for a period of 90 minutes. The recyclability is validated over three cycles, displayed its stability with 76 % degradation of pollutants and the photocatalyst is also easily separated using a simple magnet for further recycling study. As observed in the results of ESR, the formation of O2 significantly accelerated the superoxide radical generation during the photocatalytic degradation of pollutants, enhancing degradation efficiency. It is worth highlighting that the remarkable degradation efficacy, stability and reusability exhibited by the synthesised nanocomposite prove advantageous for subsequent applications.

The significant role of Z-scheme band alignment at the heterojunction for the enhanced photocatalytic H2 production in TiO2/BiNbO4/rGO nanocomposite

An efficient ternary TiO2/BiNbO4/rGO nanocomposite was prepared by a simple wet impregnation process. PXRD confirmed the tetragonal and orthorhombic crystalline natures of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and bismuth niobate (BiNbO4) respectively. The loading of BiNbO4 and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) shifted the light absorption of TiO2 to a longer wavelength from 400 to 430 nm. The suitable conduction band position of BiNbO4 facilitated a favourable band alignment to suppress the electron/hole (e−/h+) recombination in TiO2 via the Z scheme mechanism at the heterojunction. The excited electrons at the CB of TiO2 were easily transported via the fast electron accepting and conducting rGO matrix for the surface redox reactions with the improved charge transfer efficiency, which was confirmed by EIS and PL studies respectively. BiNbO4 and rGO synergistically improved the specific surface area and solar light absorption. EPR analysis confirmed the presence of increased oxygen vacancies at the heterojunction. Hence, the ternary TiO2/BiNbO4/rGO nanocomposite demonstrated an enhanced hydrogen evolution (8910 μ mol h−1 gcat−1) than bare TiO2 (4820 μ mol h−1 gcat−1), bare BiNbO4 (950 μ mol h−1 gcat−1) and TiO2/BiNbO4 (6730 μ mol h−1 gcat−1) under direct solar light. The optimum of 1 wt % BiNbO4 and rGO loaded TiO2 nanocomposite produced twice the H2 production than the bare TiO2. This also further confirms that rGO played a major role during the photocatalytic process by highlighting the potential of metal oxides combined with carbon material as an efficient photocatalyst which prominently enhances the H2 evolution.

Novel Fe2O3/Bi2O3/CeO2 heterojunction photocatalyst for wastewater treatment: Characterization, photocatalytic performance and mechanism study

A novel ternary Fe2O3/Bi2O3/CeO2 (FeB/CeO2) heterojunction nanocomposite with different Fe2O3/Bi2O3 amounts on CeO2 (5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 wt%) was synthesized through a simple wet impregnation process. The properties of the synthesized nanocomposite were validated thorough XPS, XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, and EDS-Mapping analyses. This photocatalyst exhibited exceptional efficiency in the of Tetracycline’s (TC) photodegradation in comparison to individual Fe2O3, Bi2O3, and CeO2. The effect of Fe2O3/Bi2O3 loading on CeO2 and the influence of operational factors on TC decomposition including photocatalyst dosage (0.05–0.2 g/L), TC concentration (10–40 mg/L), and pH (1–11) were examined with the optimal conditions yielding an experimental degradation efficiency of 99.35 %. Moreover, scavenger tests showed that O2− and OH radicals served as the main oxidative radical species. The study further delved into proposing potential degradation pathways of TC in accordance with liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry analysis. Notably, the stability of the synthesized photocatalyst was assessed through five degradation cycles, affirming its sustained effectiveness.

Promoter Impact on 5Ni/SAPO-5 Catalyst for H2 Production via Methane Partial Oxidation

Compared to steam reforming techniques, partial oxidation of methane (POM) is a promising technology to improve the efficiency of synthesizing syngas, which is a mixture of CO and H2. In this study, partial oxidation of methane (POM) was used to create syngas, a combination of CO and H2, using the SAPO-5-supported Ni catalysts. Using the wetness impregnation process, laboratory-synthesized Ni promoted with Sr, Ce, and Cu was used to modify the SAPO-5 support. The characterization results demonstrated that Ni is appropriate for the POM due to its crystalline structure, improved metal support contact, and increased thermal stability with Sr, Ce, and Cu promoters. During POM at 600 °C, the synthesized 5Ni+1Sr/SAPO-5 catalyst sustained stability for 240 min on stream. While keeping the reactants stoichiometric ratio of (CH4:O2 = 2:1), the addition of Sr promoter and active metal Ni to the SAPO-5 increased the CH4 conversion from 41.13% to 49.11% and improved the H2/CO ratio of 3.33. SAPO-5-supported 5Ni+1Sr catalysts have great potential for industrial catalysis owing to their unique combination of several oxides. This composition not only boosts the catalyst’s activity but also promotes favorable physiochemical properties, resulting in improved production of syngas. Syngas is a valuable intermediate in various industrial processes.

Enhancing the conversion of waste motor oil into diesel-like fuels using mineral-impregnated biochar catalysts

This study shows how the presence of metal-impregnated biochar influences the kinetics of the catalytic conversion of waste motor oil (WMO) into a diesel-like fuel (DLF). First, the initial metal concentration in the wet impregnation process was optimized, showing that high metal concentrations tend to clog the biochar pores, reducing the reaction’s conversion and speed. Zinc and calcium showed higher kinetic constants at the optimized conditions than nickel, while the yield- and selectivity-to-liquid products were unaffected. Then, a reduction method was developed for impregnating metal particles of calcium oxide to enhance the metal dispersion at the biochar surface. This material showed the best performance in the reaction due to the presence of small particles instead of metal agglomerates. An increase of about 280% in the kinetic constant at 420 °C and a much lower activation energy (246 kJ mol−1) compared to the thermal cracking (308 kJ mol−1) was obtained. Finally, the DLF from the best catalytic system was analyzed. Interestingly, the fuel showed similar rheological properties to commercial diesel with a similar hydrocarbon distribution but with the presence of smaller hydrocarbon chains.

Solvent-free preparation of well-dispersed and highly active CrOx/VOx/TiO2-SiO2 bimetallic catalyst for bimodal UHMWPE/ HDPE in-reactor blends

CrOx/VOx/TiO2-SiO2 was prepared via solvent-free and conventional wet-impregnation process with ethanol as solvent. The results of ICP-OES, N2 adsorption-desorption, SEM-EDX, Raman and DR-Uv-vis spectra indicate that well-dispersed Cr and V sites in isolated state were the main species. Bimodal ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene/high-density polyethylene in-reactor blends (UHMWPE/HDPE IRBs) could be synthesized with polymerization activity ＞ 1×107 gPE·mol−1Cr·h−1. Moreover, the two catalysts displayed similar catalytic behaviors in temperature sensitivity, H2 response and 1-hexene copolymerization efficiency, and their polymer products also show comparable molecular weight and molecular weight distribution, which implies analogous structures of their well-dispersed active sites. By contrast, the catalyst prepared by wet-impregnation process with water as solvent exhibited poor dispersity, which is reflected by its much lower activity and very different catalytic behaviors and polymer properties when compared with the well-dispersed catalysts. Therefore, the economic and green solvent-free process is promising for preparing highly-active CrOx/VOx/TiO2-SiO2.

Ammonia oxidation by in-situ chloride electrolysis in etching wastewater of semiconductor manufacturing using RuSnOx/Ti electrode: Effect of plating mode and metal ratio

The indirect chloride-mediated ammonia oxidation encounters challenges in maintaining the effectiveness of metal oxide anodes when treating wastewaters with complex compositions. This study aims to develop a highly stable anode with RuO2-SnO2 coatings for treating an etching effluent from semiconductor manufacturing, which majorly contains NH3 and organic compounds. The RuSnOx/Ti electrode was synthesized using wet impregnation and calcination processes. The metal oxide configuration on Ti plate substrate was tuned by varying the step-dipping process in RuCl3 and SnCl4 baths. A 10-day continuous-flow electrolysis was conducted for studying the ammonia removal and chlorine yield under variable conditions, including detention, pH, current density, and initial ammonia and chloride concentrations. In the RuSnOx coatings, the configuration comprising RuO2 nanorods as the surface layer and an intermediate layer of SnO2 crystallites (by plating Ru3+ for three times to cover one Sn4+ layer, denoted as the Ru3Sn/Ti electrode) exhibited the best durability for acid washing, along with relatively high Faradaic efficiency and low energy consumption. To further improve the treatability of real wastewater (NH3-N = 634 mg L−1, chemical oxygen demand (COD) = 6700 mg L−1, Cl- = 2000 mg L−1, pH 11), the duel-cell electrolyzers were constructed in series under a current density of 30 mA cm−2 and 45 min detention. Ultimately, removals of NH3 and COD reached 95.8% and 76.3%, respectively, with successful limitation of chloramine formation.

Modifying Surface Chemistry to Enhance the Electrochemical Stability of Nickel‐Rich Cathode Materials

AbstractResidual impurities such as lithium carbonate and hydroxide are a major concern for accelerating parasitic reactions at the cathode electrolyte interface of lithium‐ion batteries. Removal of these lithium‐bearing species becomes a necessity for high‐performance nickel‐rich cathode materials. Instead of directly removing these impurities through washing steps, a wet impregnation process is employed to convert these detrimental surface impurities into beneficial surface coating on nickel‐rich cathode materials. Specifically, the pristine cathode material is treated with Al(H2PO4)3 solution to convert undesired compounds into Li3PO4 and AlPO4, both of which are considered positive surface coating materials for high‐voltage cathodes. It is found that the introduced modification greatly suppresses the interfacial impedance hike and improves the capacity retention of the cathode material after repeating charging/discharging. It is believed that these benefits are realized through the modification of the surface chemistry of the cathode material, which helps to slow down the parasitic reactions and reduce the damage to the cathode material.

Fabrication of g-C3N4/CuS heterostructures for efficient visible light-driven photocatalysts

The g-C3N4/CuS heterojunction was synthesized using a wet impregnation process. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), High resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Diffused reflectance spectroscopy (UV–vis DRS), and Photoluminescence (PL) were employed to examine the crystalline structure, morphology, elemental configuration, optical absorption characteristics, electron hole recombination, and charge transfer property of the prepared materials, respectively. The specific surface area and pore volume of the produced materials were calculated using N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms and BET studies. Rhodamine B (RhB) is broken down by the catalysts in the presence of visible light. In 40 min, the catalyst showed quick photocatalytic degradation of the RhB dye (98.6 %). The synthesized catalyst performs at the highest level for photocatalytic degradation due to its low e-h recombination rate, broad spectrum of absorption light, increased photo-generated electrons, and larger specific surface area. Higher photocatalytic activity might be a result of the matched overlapping band structure and the interaction between CuS and g-C3N4. The photoluminescent spectra show that the interaction of g-C3N4 and CuS would not only boost the optical absorption property of g-C3N4, but would also produce more interfaces for the efficient transfer of photo-generated electron-hole pairs to limit recombination. The repeatability experiment's results unequivocally demonstrate that the developed catalyst has a high photo-stability. The results of the degrading efficiency tests were competitive with numerous photocatalysts that had already been published.

Functional Surface Coating to Enhance the Stability of LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2

Parasitic reactions are responsible for continuous performance loss during the normal operation and storage of lithium-ion batteries, particularly for those using nickel-rich cathode materials. Among many contributors, residual Li2CO3 on the surface of nickel-rich cathodes plays a detrimental role in promoting parasitic reactions, and hence accelerates the performance loss of those cathode materials. In this work, a wet impregnation process was utilized to convert the detrimental Li2CO3 and LiOH impurities into a beneficial functional surface coating comprising phosphates. Specifically, hydro-phosphates were used as the functional surface modification agents to mitigate the detrimental effect of surface residuals. The best electrochemical performance was achieved by modifying LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2 with a diluted dihydro-phosphate solution (pKa = 7.2), while the metal cation had a negligible impact on the electrochemical performance. This work provides a cheap and simple method for enabling the high performance of nickel-rich cathodes.

G-C3N4/WO3(H2O)0.33 nanostructured electrode for hybrid asymmetric-supercapacitor

The demand for high-energy storage supercapacitors with appropriate designs has been emerging in recent times. Aimed at enhancing the electrochemical storage performance of supercapacitors, g-C3N4/WO3(H2O)0.33 (GCN/WO) nanostructures have been prepared in a simple wet impregnation process by mixing the synthesized g-C3N4, and WO3(H2O)0.33 materials and their performances were compared systematically with their individual components. The successful formation of C3N4/WO3(H2O)0.33 nanostructure has been confirmed by the XRD, SEM, EDS, HR-TEM, HAADF and XPS spectroscopy analyses. The prepared GCN/WO nanostructures showed greater specific capacitance of 466.88C g−1 at 1.5 A g−1 than their counterparts (GCN 87.87C g−1 and WO 140.64C g−1) with remarkable cyclic stability of 98.6% over 10000 cycles. Notably, the fabricated hybrid asymmetric supercapacitor devices (HASDs) exhibited ultrahigh power density of 255.23 W kg−1 at energy density of 10.07 Wh kg−1. The enhanced electrochemical capacitor characteristics of GCN/WO nanostructures could be attributed to the positive synergistic effect of GCN and WO. Thus, the strategy utilizing this synergistic effect between GCN and WO in a simple impregnation process is a viable alternative to fabricate the high capacitance electrodes for application in supercapacitors.

Synthesis of oxygenated additive fuels from bio-renewable glycerol using sulfated Zr-Al based heterogeneous acid catalyst

The exponential growth of biodiesel production generates an enormous amount of glycerol as a by-product that requires effective strategies to convert it into valuable chemicals to enhance the sustainability of the biodiesel market. Solketal is an interesting compound among various value-added chemicals obtained from waste glycerol produced during biodiesel production. In the present work, highly efficient and economically viable heterogeneous solid acid SO4-2/ZrO2-Al2O3 catalyst was designed via wetness impregnation process. The synthesized catalyst was found to be highly active for acetalization of glycerol with acetone under optimized conditions viz. 1:10 M ratio of glycerol and acetone, 3 wt.% of catalyst loading at 70 °C for 180 min reaction time. The synthesized catalyst is highly selective (98.9%) for solketal synthesis, with 98.1 % yield and 99.2 % glycerol conversion. Green metrics studies were performed to determine the environment-friendly nature of the catalyst and acetalization process. The carbon balance studies were also calculated to show that glycerol is found only in one phase during the overall process of solketal synthesis. The high thermal stability and catalytic activity were retained up to 5th reaction cycle making the catalyst more efficient for its wide application in an industrial level.

Catalytic oxidation of Benzene with manganese oxide supported on Cordierite

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are one of the principal causes of air pollution, posing a grave danger to the environment and human health due to their toxicity. In the presence of heat or light, catalytic oxidation has been recognized as a viable and efficient approach for VOCs remediation. Manganese-based oxides are one of the most environmentally benign and cost-effective choices for the catalytic destruction of volatile organic compounds in thermocatalysis. That is the reason why this article focused on catalytic oxidation to control benzene (a VOCs component). The wet impregnation process was used to produce manganese oxide supported on cordierites. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer mapping (EDS mapping), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Hydrogen Temperature-programmed reduction (TPR-H2) were used to characterize the catalysts. When using the TCD-FID detector, catalytic activity measurements were done on a micro-flow reactor system coupled online to GC. The results showed that MnO2-Cor potential catalyst for completely oxidizing benzene with a 100% benzene conversion temperature of 350 C to CO2 and H2O. This catalyst provides high thermal stability and good reusability due to being carried on cordierite.

Sonophotocatalytic Degradation of Fast Yellow AB and Remazol Brilliant Violet-5R by Using Ag-Impregnated ZnO as a Photocatalyst.

The fundamental aim of this project was to assess the sonophotocatalytic degradation of textile dyes mostly eluted from industries into wastewater. Such a pretreatment of wastewater makes the water suitable for drinking and irrigation purposes and thereby helps protect the ecosystem. The main objective of this research was to degrade real samples and laboratory-prepared samples sonophotocatalytically using a silver-impregnated ZnO photocatalyst. Reactive dyes, including Fast Yellow AB (FY AB) and Remazol Brilliant Violet-5R (RBV-5R), were degraded via this technique under optimum and enhanced conditions. The photocatalyst was synthesized through a wet impregnation process and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and UV/vis spectroscopy to examine the morphology, composition, and functional groups of the photocatalyst. Parameters including pH, dosage, dye concentration, scavengers, and effects of oxidizing agents were considered. Under optimal conditions, the degradations were 95.7 and 88.9% for RBV-5R and FY AB, respectively, in 60 min. The pH and oxidizing agents played important roles in the degradation process. Only 43.8 and 32.5% of RBV-5R and FY AB, respectively, were degraded in the absence of an oxidizing agent. With the addition of oxidizing agents, 95.7 and 88.9% of RBV-5R and FY AB degradation occurred, respectively. The optimal pH values for RBV 5-R and FY-AB were 8 and 12, respectively. A comparison between the photocatalytic and sonophotocatalytic processes revealed degradation efficiencies of 41 and 33% for RBV-5R and FY-AB, respectively, by the photocatalytic process. Therefore, results indicate the productivity of the sonophotocatalytic degradation process.

Regulating the catalytic activities of Ni and Pd through doping on Fe2O3HT for selective hydrogenation of conjugated aldehyde (citral) in lemongrass essential oil to organoleptically superior monoterpene alcohols (geraniol/nerol)

Fe2O3 was modified by doping Ni and Pd to obtain 3%Ni-1.5%Pd/Fe2O3HT catalyst via the hydrothermal process for selective hydrogenation of citral to nerol and geraniol. This catalyst was prepared by different techniques like co-precipitation, wet impregnation, and hydrothermal process, and their activity towards citral hydrogenation was thoroughly studied. The prepared catalysts were thoroughly characterized. Various parameters such as pressure, temperature, reaction time, and metal weight (%) have been optimized through the RSM-BBD module to attain high selectivity towards nerol and geraniol. The optimal reaction conditions of 6.45 bar pressure, 3%Ni-1.5%Pd loading at 72.1 °C for 84 min, the citral (>99%) was converted to nerol/geraniol with 97.2% of selectivity. The modified catalyst activated the oxygen species of the carbonyl atom and thus favours the selective hydrogenation of the CO bond without reducing the CC bond. This process is very effective for the selective transformation of citral (75%) in lemongrass essential oil to organoleptically superior nerol/geraniol-rich oil using 3%Ni-1.5%Pd/Fe2O3HT catalyst.

Development ofBi2S3/Cu2S hetrojuction as an effectivephotocatalysts for the efficient degradation of antibiotic drug and organic dye.

Herein, a Bi2S3/Cu2S was successfully synthesized via a simple one-step wet impregnation process. The compositional behavior and electrical and optical properties of photocatalysts were investigated in detail. Photocatalytic technology has shown great promise in wastewater treatment, splitting water to hydrogen, and converting CO2 to fuel. Researchers or scientist are attempting to design sulfate-based heterojunction photocatalytic systems in order to develop novel photocatalysts with excellent performance. Photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye and tetracycline (TC) drug under visible light irradiation was used to assess the photocatalytic activity of as-prepared samples. As a result, 2:1% wt of Bi2S3/Cu2S heterostructure composite revealed superior visible light degradation performing of MB dye, and TC drug efficiency as 90.2% and 87.5%, respectively. The prepared hybrid photocatalyst has demonstated a potential for use in thephotocatalytic degradation of antibiotic durgs and dyes, indicating a promissing future for its application.

Optimization of microwave-assisted biodiesel production using Iron (III) oxide - Calcium oxide / Activated charcoal derived from waste Asian green mussel shell as heterogeneous catalyst

The primary objective of this study was to produce a heterogeneous iron (III) oxide (Fe2O3)-calcium oxide (CaO)/activated charcoal (AC) catalyst from Asian green mussel shell utilizing wet impregnation and calcination processes for biodiesel synthesis. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method were used to analyze the novel catalyst. Using a central composite design (CCD)-based response surface methodology (RSM), the process parameters such as catalyst quantity, reaction time, and microwave electrical power were optimized. The optimal reaction conditions were determined to be 1.07 wt.% of Fe2O3-CaO/AC, 6.42 min of reaction time, and 667 W of microwave electrical power. The published results imply that the heterogeneous catalyst has a great potential for the direct conversion of waste frying oil (WFO) to biodiesel, with the ability to reuse without reactivation. The development of Fe2O3-CaO/AC as a novel heterogeneous catalyst would facilitate the manufacture of biodiesel in an eco-friendly manner.

Maximizing biodiesel production from waste cooking oil with lime-based zinc-doped CaO using response surface methodology

Biodiesel is one of the alternative fuels, commonly produced chemically from oil and methanol using a catalyst. This study aims to maximize biodiesel production from cheap and readily available sources of waste cooking oil (WCO) and lime-based Zinc-doped calcium oxide (Zn-CaO) catalyst prepared with a wet impregnation process. The Zn-CaO nanocatalyst was produced by adding 5% Zn into the calcinated limestone. The morphology, crystal size, and vibrational energies of CaO and Zn-CaO nanocatalysts were determined using SEM, XRD, and FT-IR spectroscopy techniques, respectively. The response surface methodology (RSM), which is based on the box-Behnken design, was used to optimize the key variables of the transesterification reaction. Results showed that when Zn was doped to lime-based CaO, the average crystalline size reduced from 21.14 to 12.51 nm, consequently, structural irregularity and surface area increased. The experimental parameters of methanol to oil molar ratio (14:1), catalyst loading (5% wt.), temperature (57.5 °C), and reaction time (120 min) led to the highest biodiesel conversion of 96.5%. The fuel characteristics of the generated biodiesel fulfilled the American (ASTM D6571) fuel standards. The study suggests the potential use of WCO and lime-based catalyst as efficient and low-cost raw materials for large-scale biodiesel production intended for versatile applications.

Highly efficient super activated carbon supported ultra-low loading copper catalyst for the oxidative carbonylation of methanol to dimethyl carbonate

A series of copper catalysts with loading less than 1.0 wt% supported on super activated carbon (SAC, 2403 m2·g−1) as well as commercial activated carbon (AC, 1297 m2·g−1) were produced by the wet-impregnation process and applied in methanol oxidative carbonylation to generate dimethyl carbonate (DMC). The 0.5Cu/SAC catalyst showed highly dispersed Cu nanoparticles (NPs, ∼2.2 nm) and exhibited a turnover frequency (44.6 h−1) about four times higher than that of 0.5Cu/AC. The characterization results indicate that the large specific surface area of SAC greatly promoted the dispersion of Cu NPs. In addition, the abundant oxygen-containing groups on SAC enhanced interaction between Cu NPs and carbon support, which maintained the concentration of active Cu0 sites and facilitated high stability of Cu/SAC catalysts during the reaction. This research provided a novel strategy for fabricating low loading Cu-based catalysts with commercial prospects for the DMC synthesis.