Synthesis of core–shell Ce-modified mixed metal oxides derived from P123-templated layered double hydroxides

Layered double hydroxides are a promising platform material which can be combined with a variety of active species based on their characteristic features. Silicon@P123-templated Ce-doped layered double hydroxide (SiO2@CeMgAl-LDH(P123)) composites were synthesized via a facile in situ co-precipitation method, and characterized by TEM, X-ray diffraction, FTIR, XPS, CO2-, etc. in detail. Meanwhile, the calcined powder (SiO2@CeMgAl-LDO(P123)) possessed an excellent core–shell structure and a high surface area inherited from the LDH structure, which led to an outstanding catalytic activity (99.7% conversion of propylene oxide, 92.4% selectivity of propylene glycol methyl ether) under mild reaction conditions (120 °C). Cerium oxide provides a large number of oxygen vacancies and significantly improves the medium basic strength of the material, which facilitates the selective ring-opening of PO. Furthermore, the introduction and removal of P123 make the cerium oxide uniformly dispersed on the LDH layers, providing more reaction sites for the reaction of methanol and propylene oxide. The core–shell structure prepared by the in situ co-precipitation method could solve the shortcomings of agglomeration of layered double hydroxides and prolong the catalytic life evidently.