One-step synthesis of dimethyl ether from syngas on ordered mesoporous copper incorporated alumina

Ordered mesoporous copper incorporated Al;O;（Cu/Al;O;） with high Cu dispersion were prepared by a facile solution combustion synthesis method using aluminum nitrate and copper nitrate as oxidants and urea as fuel. It is a facile and green route to synthesize catalysts for dimethyl ether directly from syngas. Cu/Al;O;catalysts were characterized by XRD, N;adsorption–desorption, SEM-EDS, and H;-TPR.The results indicate that the catalysts obtain an ordered mesoporous structure and copper is homogenously dispersed. The mesoporous Cu/Al;O;catalysts were utilized as bifunctional catalysts in syngas to dimethyl ether reaction（STD）. The copper content affects the catalytic performance in STD reaction. The CO conversion and DME selectivity of Cu/Al;O;with 15% copper molar ratio achieve 52.9% and 66.1%,respectively. Moreover, the mesoporous Cu/Al;O;catalysts show excellent stability in STD reaction.