Oxygen vacancies generated by Sn-doped ZrO₂ promoting the synthesis of dimethyl carbonate from methanol and CO₂

Oxygen vacancy sites on a catalyst surface have been extensively studied and been proved to promote the adsorption and activation of carbon dioxide. We use Sn-doped ZrO₂ to prepare a Zr/Sn catalyst rich in oxygen vacancies (OVs) by co-precipitation. The yield of dimethyl carbonate is 5 times that of ZrO₂. Compared with the original ZrO₂, Zr/Sn exhibits a higher specific surface area, number of acid-base sites and a lower band gap, which improves the conductivity of electrons and creates more surface. The number of reaction sites greatly enhances the adsorption and activation capacity of CO₂ molecules on the catalyst surface. In situ infrared spectroscopy shows that CO₂ adsorbs on oxygen vacancies to form monomethyl carbonate, and participates in the reaction as an intermediate species. This work provides new clues for the preparation of ZrO₂-based catalysts rich in oxygen vacancies to directly catalyze the synthesis of dimethyl carbonate from methanol and CO₂.