Loading...
Modification of acid–base properties of metal-doped ZnO catalysts for the transesterification of propylene carbonate with methanol to dimethyl carbonate
Author(s)
Date Issued
April 1, 2025
Type
Article
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of metal dopants on the surface properties of ZnO-based catalysts for the transesterification of propylene carbonate (PC) with methanol to produce dimethyl carbonate (DMC). A series of metal-doped ZnO nanocatalysts (M-ZnO, where M is Ca2+, Cu2+, Ce3+, La3+, and Y3+ with the mol ratio of Zn2+/Mx+ = 4) were prepared by a simple co-precipitation method followed by calcining in air at 673 K for 5 h. Introducing different metal cations into the ZnO system decreased crystallite size and created surface defects of exposed cations and oxygen vacancies, increasing surface-active acid and basic sites. The catalytic performance for DMC production was ranked as follows: Ca-ZnO < Cu–ZnO < ZnO < Ce-ZnO < Y-ZnO < La-ZnO. La-ZnO showed the highest performance of all catalysts, with 67% PC conversion, 67% DMC selectivity, and 45% DMC yield. The improvement of catalytic activity was correlated with an increase in the concentration of moderate and strong acid–base functionalities on the La-ZnO surfaces for participating in the reaction of PC and methanol to form DMC.
Citation
Research on Chemical Intermediates, 51(4), 1863-1881, 2025