Activity of coprecipitated CuO/ZnO catalysts in the decomposition of dimethylhexane-1,6-dicarbamate

• Cu-rich CuO/ZnO catalysts showed the enhanced activity in HDC decomposition.
• The activity enhancement was due to intimate intergrowth of oxide nanoparticles.
• The lower activity was obtained in Zn-rich CuO/ZnO catalysts.
• The activity decrease resulted from interfacial contact of nano-sized CuO and ZnO.
• The Cu/Zn precursor property affects the catalytic activity of CuO/ZnO.

In the decomposition of dimethylhexane-1,6-dicarbamate over the coprecipitation-derived CuO/ZnO catalysts with various Cu/Zn ratios, Cu-rich oxides exhibited the enhanced activities but Zn-rich ones the lower activities, compared to physical mixtures of the single component. It was revealed that the activity trend resulted from an intimate intergrowth and interfacial contact of individual CuO and ZnO nanoparticles. Furthermore, a substitution of the second metal in the single precursor phase, e.g., Cu2 + substitution by Zn2 + in the malachite phase and Zn2 + substitution by Cu2 + in the hydrozincite phase, was found to affect the activity and properties of the calcined CuO/ZnO catalysts.

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