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Review
. 2024 Oct 13;29(20):4855.
doi: 10.3390/molecules29204855.

Active Sites on the CuCo Catalyst in Higher Alcohol Synthesis from Syngas: A Review

Chun Han  1 , Jing Liu  2 , Le Li  1 , Zeyu Peng  1 , Luyao Wu  1 , Jiarong Hao  1 , Wei Huang  1
Affiliations
Review

Active Sites on the CuCo Catalyst in Higher Alcohol Synthesis from Syngas: A Review

Chun Han et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Higher alcohol synthesis through the Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) process was considered a promising route for the efficient utilization of fossil resources could be achieved. The CuCo catalysts were proven to be efficient candidates and attracted much interest. Great efforts have been made to investigate the active sites and mechanisms of CuCo catalysts. However, the industrialized application of CuCo catalysts in this process was still hindered. The poor stability of this catalyst was one of the main reasons. This short review summarized the recent development of active sites on the CuCo catalysts for higher alcohol synthesis, including CuCo alloy particles, CuCo core-shell particles, and unsaturated particles. The complex active sites and their continual changes during the reaction led to the poor stability of the catalysts. The effect of active sites on catalytic performance was discussed. Furthermore, the key factors in fabricating stable CuCo catalysts were proposed. Finally, reasonable proposals were proposed for designing efficient and stable CuCo catalysts in higher alcohol synthesis.

Keywords: CuCo catalysts; active sites; catalytic performance; higher alcohol synthesis; stability.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
XRD patterns of (a) the calcinated and (b) reduced catalysts [38]. Copyright (2018) American Chemical Society.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic diagram of the mechanism of ethanol formation via the synergistic effect of Cu+-Co0 [49]. H* represented the dissociated H, CO* represented the non-dissociative adsorbed CO. Copyright (2019) Elsevier.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Schematic diagram of the mechanism of HA synthesis via the synergistic effect of CoOx-Co0 [62]. H* represented the dissociated H species. CO* represented the non-dissociative adsorbed CO species. CHx* represented the intermediates formed by the hydrogenation of dissociative adsorbed CO. Copyright (2018) American Chemical Society.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Structure evolution of CuCo alloy in HA synthesis. (a) The stability test of CuCo catalysts during 800 h [86]; (b) conversion of CO and selectivity of CO2, hydrocarbons, and total alcohols. (c) Distribution of alcohols. Copyright (2017) American Chemical Society.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Catalytic performance of CuCo catalysts varying Cu/Co ratio. (a) Catalytic performance of CuCo catalysts varying Cu/Co ratio, (b) Schematic diagram of “Seesaw” phenomenon. (Note: the red and black arrow in (b) represents the decrease and increase in Cu/Co ratio, respectively).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Effect of Cu/Co ratio on the active sites over Cu-Co catalysts [17]. Copyright (2014) John Wiley and Sons.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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