Synthesis of Efficient Ce Modified CuO/CoAl-HT Catalysts for Styrene Epoxidation

The controllable synthesis of efficient supported non-noble with fitting chemical state for styrene epoxidation is of great significance to save scarce resources and improve the atom economy. Herein, a series of Ce modified CuO/CoAl-hydrotalcite catalysts was prepared using deposition–precipitation (DP) method. The appropriate addition of Ce (Ce/Cu = 0.2) could contribute to the dispersion of CuO on the surface of support. Moreover, the chemical state of CuO could be finely tuned by the introduction of Ce additives: Ce interacted with CuO and maked CuO surface enrichment of electrons, while CeO2 weakened the interaction between CuO and CoAl-HT support, increasing the percentage of Cu2+ ions (CuA2+) in metal oxides. Therefore, the obtained CuO–0.2CeO2/CoAl-HT catalyst, possessing maximum CuA2+, exhibited optimal styrene oxide yield in styrene epoxidation reaction at similar condition to date, achieving 79.5% selectivity at 99.6% styrene conversion.