| Title | Synergistic effect of boron-doped carbon nanotubes supported Cu catalyst for selective hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate to ethanol. |
|---|---|
| Authors | P. Ai; M. Tan; N. Yamane; G. Liu; R. Fan; G. Yang; Y. Yoneyama; R. Yang; N. Tsubaki |
| Journal | Chemistry |
| DOI | 10.1002/chem.201700821 |
| Abstract |
Heteroatom doping is a promising approach to improve the properties of carbon material for customized applications. Herein, a series of boron-doped carbon nanotubes supported Cu catalysts (Cu/xB-CNTs) were prepared for the hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate to ethanol. The structure and chemical properties of boron doped catalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM, N2O pulse adsorption, CO chemisorption, H2-TPR and NH3-TPD, which revealed that doping boron into CNTs support improved the Cu dispersion, strengthened the interaction of Cu species with CNTs support, introduced more surface acid sites and elevated surface area of both Cu0 and Cu+ sites, especially the surface area of Cu+ sites. Consequently, the catalytic activity and stability of the catalysts were greatly enhanced with boron doping. 100% DMO conversion and 78.1% ethanol selectivity could be achieved over the Cu/1B-CNTs catalyst, whose ethanol selectivity was almost 1.7 times higher than that of the catalyst without boron doping. These results suggest that doping CNTs with boron is an efficient approach to improve the catalytic performance of CNTs based catalysts for hydrogenation of DMO. The boron-doped CNTs based catalyst with improved ethanol selectivity and catalytic stability will be helpful in the development of efficient non-silica materials supported Cu catalysts for selective hydrogenation of DMO to ethanol. |
See more Boron products. 
Boron (atomic symbol: B, atomic number: 5) is a Block P, Group 13, Period 2 element with an atomic weight of 10.81. The number of electrons in each of boron's shells is 2, 3 and its electron configuration is [He] 2s2 2p1. The boron atom has a radius of 90 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 192 pm. Boron was discovered by Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac and Louis Jacques Thénard in 1808 and was first isolated by Humphry Davy later that year. Boron is classified as a metalloid is not found naturally on earth. 
Along with carbon and nitrogen, boron is one of the few elements in the periodic table known to form stable compounds featuring triple bonds. Boron has an energy band gap of 1.50 to 1.56 eV, which is higher than that of either silicon or germanium. The name Boron originates from a combination of carbon and the Arabic word buraqu meaning borax.
See more Carbon products. Carbon (atomic symbol: C, atomic number: 6) is a Block P, Group 14, Period 2 element. 
The number of electrons in each of Carbon's shells is 2, 4 and its electron configuration is [He]2s2 2p2. In its elemental form, carbon can take various physical forms (known as allotropes) based on the type of bonds between carbon atoms; the most well known allotropes are diamond, graphite, amorphous carbon, glassy carbon, and nanostructured forms such as carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and nanofibers . Carbon is at the same time one of the softest (as graphite) and hardest (as diamond) materials found in nature. It is the 15th most abundant element in the Earth's crust, and the fourth most abundant element (by mass) in the universe after hydrogen, helium, and oxygen. Carbon was discovered by the Egyptians and Sumerians circa 3750 BC. It was first recognized as an element by Antoine Lavoisier in 1789.
See more Copper products. 
Copper (atomic symbol: Cu, atomic number: 29) is a Block D, Group 11, Period 4 element with an atomic weight of 63.546. The number of electrons in each of copper's shells is 2, 8, 18, 1 and its electron configuration is [Ar]3d10 4s1. The copper atom has a radius of 128 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 186 pm. Copper was first discovered by Early Man prior to 9000 BC. In its elemental form, copper has a reddish-orange metallic and lustrous appearance. Of all pure metals, only silver 
has a higher electrical conductivity. The origin of the word copper comes from the Latin word 'cuprium' which translates as "metal of Cyprus," as the Mediterranean island of Cyprus was known as an ancient source of mined copper..