Synthesis and Characterization of ZIF based CeO2 and Cu doped CeO2 catalysts

Abstract

Catalysts capable of achieving high performance without compromising the green credentials are a pre-requisite for the development of a sustainable process. Recently, ZIF-67 have gained immense interest in the field of catalysis due to their high thermal and chemical stability and exceptional functionalities. In our study, a hybrid of CeO2 nanoparticles with ZIF-67 is synthesized by embedding the ceria nanoparticles into the microporous structure of ZIF-67 through a facile technique. It is then employed for the oxidation of cyclohexene into adipic acid as an alternative to expensive noble metal-based catalysts. The heterogeneous ZIF-67/CeO2 catalyst was found catalytically active towards the oxidation of cyclohexene with nearly complete conversion into adipic acid, under moderate and co-catalyst free reaction conditions. On the other hand, Cu doped CeO2 nanospheres have been prepared by a facile hydrothermal route. A performance comparison of MOF embedded CeO2 nanoparticles with its metal doped structure is presented, with an adequate understanding of ceria’s enhanced catalytic and reducible properties. The as-prepared CeO2/ZIF-67 hybrid comprehend the advantage of a microporous manner depicted by the MOF matrix combined with the effective functional characteristics of cerium oxide’s nanoparticles.