Copper nanoparticles decorated inside or outside carbon nanotubes used for methyl acetate hydrogenation

Copper nanoparticles loaded inside or outside carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were prepared by a simple wet chemistry method. The structures and physicochemical properties of the obtained materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Methyl acetate (MA) hydrogenation forming methanol and ethanol was chosen as the application to explore the catalytic performances of copper inside and outside CNTs. The reaction results indicated that the catalytic activity of Cu-inside-CNTs catalyst was significantly higher than that of Cu-outside-CNTs because of the space confined effects. Furthermore, the influences of Cu content on CNTs to the catalytic performance were also investigated.