LAUSR

Bridging homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis is a long-term pursuit in the field of catalysis. Herein, we report our results in integration of nano- and molecular catalysis via catalytic synthesis of nitrogen doped carbon layers on AlOx supported nano-Cu which can finely tune the catalytic performance of the supported copper catalyst. This synthetic catalytic material, which can be generated in situ by the reaction of CuAlOx and 1,10-Phen in the presence of hydrogen, could be used for controllable synthesis of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) from dimethylamine and CO2/H2 via blocking reaction pathways of further catalytic hydrogenation of DMF to N(CH3)3. Detailed characterizations and DFT calculations reveal that the presence of N-doped layered carbon on the surface of the nano-Cu particles results in higher activation energy barriers during the conversion of DMF to N(CH3)3. Our primary results could promote merging of homogeneous catalysis and heterogeneous catalysis and CO2 recycling.Bridging homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis is a long-term pursuit in the field of catalysis. Here, the authors present results on integration of nano- and molecular catalysis via catalytic synthesis of nitrogen doped carbon layers on AlOx supported nano-Cu which can finely tune the catalytic performance of the supported copper catalyst.