Design of Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts with a rich Cu-ZnO interface for enhanced CO2 hydrogenation to methanol using zinc-malachite as the precursor

In Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts, the Cu-ZnO interface is crucial for the hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol, which is beneficial to H-2 adsorption and CO2 activation. In this research, a series of Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts (named CZA-X-Y, X is the sample number and Y is the sample state) with different Cu-ZnO interface contents were prepared by adjusting the components of zinc-malachite. The CZA-2-R catalyst, which was prepared from zinc-malachite with a zinc substitution amount of 27.13%, had small Cu particle sizes and uniform distribution of Cu and ZnO particles, creating a rich Cu-ZnO interface. As a result, the CZA-2-R catalyst had more catalytic active sites and displayed a good methanol yield of 11.2% as well as a long-term catalytic stability of 120 h. This study proposes a simple and feasible strategy to optimize the commercial Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst performance from the perspective of Cu-ZnO interface regulation.

Automated summary

In Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts, the Cu-ZnO interface plays a crucial role in the hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol. By adjusting the composition of zinc-malachite, Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts with different Cu-ZnO interface contents were prepared. The CZA-2-R catalyst, prepared with a zinc substitution amount of 27.13%, exhibited small Cu particle sizes and a uniform distribution of Cu and ZnO particles, leading to a rich Cu-ZnO interface. As a result, the CZA-2-R catalyst had more catalytic active sites, providing a high methanol yield of 11.2% and a long-term catalytic stability of 120 h. This study presents a simple and feasible strategy to optimize the performance of commercial Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts through Cu-ZnO interface regulation.