Effect of zirconia polymorph on the synthesis of diphenyl carbonate over supported lead catalysts

Zirconia supported Pb-based catalysts with purely tetragonal/monoclinic crystals were prepared and analyzed well by XRD, TEM-EDS, XPS, H-2-TPR, BET, Py-IR and NH3-TPD techniques. The results indicate that zirconia polymorph has great effect on their structure and catalytic property for the synthesis of diphenyl carbonate (DPC) through methyl phenyl carbonate (MPC) disproportionation due to the differences of surface chemical properties, and tetragonal zirconia supported lead catalyst (TZ-Pb) shows bigger dispersion degree of PbO, higher surface area and Lewis acid amounts and thereby exhibits higher catalytic activity and selectivity compared to monoclinic zirconia supported catalyst (MZ-Pb). Furthermore, TZ-Pb shows better reusability due to strong metal-support interaction and may be readily recycled for at least four times without remarkable reactivity loss. This work provides a prospective reference for the facile and efficient synthesis of zirconia poly morph materials in various catalysis applications.