One step oxidative esterification of methacrolein with methanol over Au-CeO2/γ-Al2O3 catalysts

Series of gold and ceria supported γ-Al 2 O 3 catalysts were developed for the oxidative esterification of methacrolein with methanol. All the catalysts were prepared through one step deposition-precipitation method, and K 2 CO 3 and urea were used as precipitant, respectively. Au, CeO 2 and γ-Al 2 O 3 could self-assemble unique particle morphology during co-precipitation process and form semi-core shell or core shell structure after calcination . The relationship between catalytic reactivity and structural characteristics were analyzed by SEM, TEM, EDS, BET, XRD, XPS, etc. Among Au-CeO 2 /γ-Al 2 O 3 (K 2 CO 3 ), Au-Ce/γ-Al 2 O 3 (Urea) and Au/γ-Al 2 O 3 (Urea) catalysts with different active components and precipitant, the last two exhibited higher catalytic activity. Moreover, the Ce-doped catalysts shown higher stability than just Au supported on pure alumina. The active stability of the optimum Au-Ce/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalyst was evaluated with seven-time cyclic reactions exhibiting high stability and activity with the yield of MMA above 90%.