Preparation of nano-TiO2 by ethanol-thermal method and its catalytic performance for synthesis of dibutyl carbonate by transesterification

The preparation of nano-TiO2 powder by the alcohol-thermal method at atmospheric pressure using ethanol as the solvent, H2TiO3 as the precursor, and KOH, NaOH or NH3 center dot H2O as the mineralizer has been presented. XRD result showed that the structure of TiO2 is anatase, and with the increase of mineralizer alkalinity, the average diameter of TiO2 becomes smaller, and the crystallinity of TiO2 becomes higher. The diameter and the crystallinity of TiO2 affect the catalytic activity of TiO2 for the synthesis of dibutyl carbonate (DBC) from dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and butyl alcohol. The anatase TiO2 obtained from KOH exhibits high catalytic activity, giving 61.9% conversion of DMC, 100% selectivity for DBC, and 61.9% yield of DBC. The conversion of DMC, selectivity and yield of DBC remain almost unchanged through four reuses.