Methanol carbonylation to acetaldehyde on Au particles supported by single-layer MoS2 grown on silica

Authors

Kortney Almeida, University of California—Riverside
Katerina Chagoya, University of Central Florida
Alan Felix, University of Central Florida
Tao Jiang, University of Central Florida
Duy Le, University of Central Florida
Takat B. Rawal, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Prescott E. Evans, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Michelle Wurch, University of California—Riverside
Koichi Yamaguchi, University of California—Riverside
Peter A. Dowben, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Ludwig Bartels, University of California—Riverside
Talat S. Rahman, University of Central Florida
Richard G. Blair, University of Central Florida

Date of this Version

2021

Citation

Published in Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter 34:10, 104005. doi:10.1088/1361-648x/ac40ad

Comments

Used by permission.

Abstract

Homogenous single-layer MoS₂ films coated with sub-single layer amounts of gold are found to isolate the reaction of methanol with carbon monoxide, the fundamental step toward higher alcohols, from an array of possible surface reactions. Active surfaces were prepared from homogenous single-layer MoS₂ films coated with sub-single layer amounts of gold. These gold atoms formed clusters on the MoS2 surface. A gas mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and methanol (CH₃OH) was partially converted to acetaldehyde (CH₃CHO) under mild process conditions (308 kPa and 393 K). This carbonylation of methanol to a C₂ species is a critical step toward the formation of higher alcohols. Density functional theory modeling of critical steps of the catalytic process identify a viable reaction pathway. Imaging and spectroscopic methods revealed that the single layer of MoS₂ facilitated formation of nanoscale gold islands, which appear to sinter through Ostwald ripening. The formation of acetaldehyde by the catalytic carbonylation of methanol over supported gold clusters is an important step toward realizing controlled production of useful molecules from low carbon-count precursors.