Effect of Basic‐acidic Dopant over Cu/SiO2 Catalyst on Product Selectivity in Ethylene Carbonate Hydrogenation

Abstract

AbstractCerium and boron are commonly used components to tune the acidic/basic property of catalysts in industry. In this work, cerium or boron‐doped copper‐based catalysts (xM−Cu/SiO2, M=Ce/B) were prepared with the ammonia‐evaporation method. Both X‐ray diffraction and Auger electron spectroscopy revealed that Cu+ content increased along with the Ce‐doping, but decreased by B‐doping. NH3‐Temperature Program Desorption results showed no change in the acidity of Ce‐doped catalysts, while significant amounts of medium‐strong acid sites appeared after B‐doping. Application in ethylene carbonate hydrogenation indicates the promoting role of Ce‐dopant in methanol production, while boron exhibits negative effects. The significant difference can be attributed to distinctive acidic/basic properties of Ce/B dopants, which affect the interaction between Cu and Si in the precursors, and thus adjust the ratio of Cu+/(Cu++Cu0).