Electronic Promotion of Methanol Synthesis over Cu-Loaded ZnO-Based Catalysts

Methanol, a raw material for C1 chemistry, is industrially produced under harsh conditions using Cu/ZnO-based catalysts. The synthesis of methanol under mild conditions is a challenging subject using an improved catalyst. Here, Zn1–xSixO (ZSO) nanoparticles were synthesized by a thermal plasma method, and their work function and carrier concentration could be tuned by the Zn:Si ratio. The electrically conductive ZSO nanoparticles with a low work function enhanced the donation of electrons to loaded Cu and significantly promoted hydrogenation of CO to methanol, whereas insulating ZSO nanoparticles with a similar low work function did not. These results reveal that efficient electronic promotion by the transfer of electrons from a support to loaded Cu plays a key role in low-temperature methanol synthesis.