Novel hollow hierarchical Pb-Mg thin nanosheet catalyst with high performance for solvent-free synthesis of methyl phenyl carbonate

Methyl phenyl carbonate (MPC) is a versatile carbonate, particularly as an important component in the lithium-ion battery industry. Recently the green synthesis of carbonates from non-toxic feedstocks and efficient catalysts have attracted a considerable amount of interest but the development of a highly active catalyst for this synthesis is a great challenge. Herein, novel Pb-Mg thin nanosheet catalysts with high specific areas and large pore volumes were developed by one-pot hydrothermal approach for the synthesis of MPC without using any solvent. The nanosheets were thoroughly characterized by SEM-EDS, TEM , XPS , NH 3 -TPD, XRD , BET, and H 2 -TPR techniques. It is shown that a diphenyl carbonate (DPC) conversion of 56.6% and an MPC selectivity of 98.8% are achieved by a Pb-Mg nanosheet catalyst with 15 wt% Pb. The activity and selectivity values are significantly higher than the previous best value reported by using transition metal-based catalysts. After the reaction, the nanosheets can be separated by simple centrifugation and can be reused many times without a significant loss of catalytic activity, showing excellent stability and recyclability. A possible mechanism was investigated based on these results. This work provides new insight into accomplishing the efficient and green synthesis of MPC and offers a strategy for synthesizing other asymmetric carbonates.