Cu/ZnOx@UiO-66 synthesized from a double solvent method as an efficient catalyst for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol

Cu/ZnOx in UiO-66, namely, Cu/ZnOx@UiO-66, was synthesized using a double solvent method with controllable Cu/Zn ratios. Due to the ultra-small nanoparticles confined in the metal–organic framework and the special Cu/ZnOx interface, this composite Cu/ZnOx@UiO-66 catalyst showed excellent performance for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol. In fact, the space–time yield of methanol is enhanced by 5.5 and 8.5 times compared with those on the commercialized Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 and the Cu/ZnOx@UiO-66 prepared with the traditional impregnation method. Furthermore, the catalyst shows good stability over a period of 100 h on stream.