{"title":"Recent progress in understanding the nature of active sites for methanol synthesis over Cu/ZnO catalysts","authors":"Xinyu Liu , Hengwei Wang , Junling Lu","doi":"10.1016/j.jcat.2024.115561","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Copper-zinc-alumina (Cu/ZnO/Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) has been utilized as the leading catalyst for industrial methanol synthesis via hydrogenation of CO and CO<sub>2</sub> for more than 50 years. Understanding the nature of active Zn sites at the atomic level is vital for gaining insight into the reaction mechanism and rational design of more efficient Cu/ZnO catalysts for methanol synthesis but remains greatly challenging and has been intensively debated for decades. In this mini-review, we first describe the fundamental insights obtained from well-defined model catalysts and then summarize the recent experimental evidence with respect to dynamic structural and electronic changes in the active Zn phase under realistic working conditions by in situ/operando microscopy/spectroscopy and surface site titration using probing molecules. In the following, we discuss the catalytic mechanism of diverse active structures by theoretical calculations and simulations. Therefore, the critical role of interfacial sites between metallic Cu and ZnO, especially those with oxygen defects, in methanol synthesis via CO<sub>2</sub> hydrogenation is emphasized. Finally, we discuss the technical challenges and perspectives in understanding the origins of this Cu-ZnO synergy and rational design of next-generation Cu-based methanol synthesis catalysts.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":346,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Catalysis","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Catalysis","FirstCategoryId":"92","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021951724002744","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Copper-zinc-alumina (Cu/ZnO/Al2O3) has been utilized as the leading catalyst for industrial methanol synthesis via hydrogenation of CO and CO2 for more than 50 years. Understanding the nature of active Zn sites at the atomic level is vital for gaining insight into the reaction mechanism and rational design of more efficient Cu/ZnO catalysts for methanol synthesis but remains greatly challenging and has been intensively debated for decades. In this mini-review, we first describe the fundamental insights obtained from well-defined model catalysts and then summarize the recent experimental evidence with respect to dynamic structural and electronic changes in the active Zn phase under realistic working conditions by in situ/operando microscopy/spectroscopy and surface site titration using probing molecules. In the following, we discuss the catalytic mechanism of diverse active structures by theoretical calculations and simulations. Therefore, the critical role of interfacial sites between metallic Cu and ZnO, especially those with oxygen defects, in methanol synthesis via CO2 hydrogenation is emphasized. Finally, we discuss the technical challenges and perspectives in understanding the origins of this Cu-ZnO synergy and rational design of next-generation Cu-based methanol synthesis catalysts.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Catalysis publishes scholarly articles on both heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis, covering a wide range of chemical transformations. These include various types of catalysis, such as those mediated by photons, plasmons, and electrons. The focus of the studies is to understand the relationship between catalytic function and the underlying chemical properties of surfaces and metal complexes.
The articles in the journal offer innovative concepts and explore the synthesis and kinetics of inorganic solids and homogeneous complexes. Furthermore, they discuss spectroscopic techniques for characterizing catalysts, investigate the interaction of probes and reacting species with catalysts, and employ theoretical methods.
The research presented in the journal should have direct relevance to the field of catalytic processes, addressing either fundamental aspects or applications of catalysis.