2D h-BN material covered Cu confined catalysts: unraveling the function of spatial dimension in tuning activity and selectivity of syngas-to-C2 oxygenates

Improving catalytic performance of syngas conversion to form C2 oxygenates on the Cu-based catalyst is still a challenge. Here, 2D h-BN material covered Cu confined catalysts (xh-BN/Cu) with different spatial dimensions are rationally designed to unravel the function of spatial dimension in tuning the activity and selectivity of C2 oxygenates. The results show that the spatial dimension caused by h-BN coating in the h-BN/Cu catalyst can alter the dominant existence form of CHx(x=1-3) monomer and the corresponding activity and selectivity, in which the confinement effect arisen from h-BN coating with different spatial dimensions is confirmed to be the determined factor instead of the electronic effect. The screened 4.0h-BN/Cu catalyst has outstanding catalytic performance toward the production of dominant CHx(x=1-3) monomer and C2 oxygenates. The finding provides the new design principle to rationally construct 2D material covered metal confined catalysts by adjusting the confined spatial dimension to improve catalytic performance.

Automated summary

The study focuses on improving the catalytic performance of Cu-based catalysts in converting syngas to C2 oxygenates. 2D h-BN material covered Cu confined catalysts with different spatial dimensions were designed to investigate the impact of spatial dimension on the activity and selectivity of C2 oxygenates. The results show that the confinement effect caused by h-BN coating, rather than the electronic effect, determines the dominant existence form and catalytic performance. The screened 4.0h-BN/Cu catalyst demonstrates outstanding performance in producing dominant CHx(x=1-3) monomer and C2 oxygenates. This finding provides a new design principle for constructing metal confined catalysts covered with 2D materials by adjusting the confined spatial dimension to enhance catalytic performance.