Co-assembly route to facile synthesis of hierarchical core-shell nano-CuMOR@SBA-15 composite for one-step conversion of DME to ethanol with enhanced catalytic performance

Core-shell composite catalysts have attracted attention due to their pore connectivity and synergistic catalytic effect. In this work, the novel core-shell nano-CuMOR@SBA-15 composite (NCMSC) was fabricated via the co-assembly method using the P123 triblock copolymer as template. The prepared samples were characterized by XRD, 129Xe NMR, SEM, TEM techniques, and N2 adsorption-desorption. Results indicate that the NCMSC’s crystal core was encapsulated by ordered mesoporous Cu/SBA-15-like shell to form hierarchically porous NCMSC composite. Compared to the CuMOR, CuMOR + SBA-15 mixture, MOR + CuSBA-15 mixture and CuSBA-15, the NCMSC composite exhibited improved catalytic performance to convert dimethyl ether (DME) to ethanol with DME conversion of 42.8% and ethanol selectivity of 96.1%. Moreover, the life of the NCMSC composite catalyst was much longer and the induction of the reaction was shorter than other catalysts. This could be ascribed to the synergistic effect of nano-CuMOR@SBA-15 composite by combining carbonylation activity of CuMOR with the hydrogenation activity of CuSBA-15.This novel NCMSC composite can be a candidate catalyst of one-step conversion of DME to ethanol.