Zn-Doped CeO2 Nanorods: a Highly Efficient Heterogeneous Catalyst for the Direct Synthesis of Dimethyl Carbonate from CO2 and Methanol

The direct synthesis of dimethyl carbonate from methanol and CO2 is a green and sustainable processes. In this paper, a new type of Zn-doped CeO2 nanorods catalyst was successfully prepared by a facile hydrothermal process, and characterized by a combination of techniques including XRD, Raman, HRTEM, SEM, N-2-sorption, CO2-TPD, NH3-TPD, XPS. The catalyst was employed as a catalyst for the synthesis of dimethyl carbonate from methanol and CO2. Catalytic results revealed that the Ce1Zn0.1O delta nanorods catalyst demonstrated superior catalytic activity, affording a high DMC yield of 24.2 mmol(DMC)/g(cat), which compared favorably to other previously reported catalysts. According to the XPS and CO2-TPD measurements, in comparison with the pure CeO2 nanorods, the surface oxygen vacancies and weak basic sites can be systemically enriched by introducing optimal amount of Zn dopants into CeO2 to improve the catalytic activity for the reaction. This work establishes an efficient catalyst for the direct synthesis of dimethyl carbonate from CO2 and methanol.