Enhanced synergy between Cu0 and Cu+ on nickel doped copper catalyst for gaseous acetic acid hydrogenation

As the substitution of common noble catalysts in the hydrogenation of carboxylic acid, a highly effective Cu-Ni/SiO₂ catalyst was prepared by a novel stepwise ammonia evaporation method. Its performance in the gas-phase hydrogenation of acetic acid was further examined. With the introduction of Ni dopant, more stable Cu^δ+ sites, which can adsorb more acetic acid, were formed due to the electron transfer from Cu to Ni. This makes more Cu⁰ sites available for hydrogen adsorption, which was suggested as the rate-determining step in acetic acid hydrogenation. A conversion of 99.6% was successfully achieved on this new Cu/SiO₂-0.5Ni catalyst, accompanied by the ethanol selectivity of 90%. The incorporation of nickel between copper nanoparticles enhances the synergistic effect between Cu⁰ and Cu⁺. It also helps mitigate the aggregation of copper nanoparticles due to the Ostwald ripening effect induced by acetic acid and enhance the stability of copper catalyst in the conversion of carboxylic acid.