Formic acid assisted synthesis of Cu-CuO-ZnO composite catalyst for acceptor free selective dehydrogenation of 1, 4-butanediol to γ-butrylactone

The Cu-CuO-ZnO composite catalyst synthesized through the formic acid-assisted method, underwent thorough characterization via XRD, N₂ physisorption, TPR, TPD, TGA, XPS, and TEM. When applied to the selective dehydrogenation of 1,4-butanediol, this catalyst outperformed counterparts prepared through co-precipitation and impregnation methods. The superiority is attributed to the formic acid-assisted method yielding smaller Cu nanoparticles and some CuO species, undergoing in-situ reduction by dehydrogenation-generated H₂. This process results in nascent Cu nanoparticles, enhancing catalytic performance. Notably, the catalyst demonstrated remarkable stability over a 100 h time-on-stream without discrepancies, highlighting the robustness of the formic acid-assisted method for 1,4-butanediol dehydrogenation.