Research progress in Cu–ZrO2 catalysts: a systematic review of their preparation, doping, and applications

Abstract

Due to the energy and environmental crises, there has been an active pursuit to achieve sustainable development of chemical reactions. Cu–ZrO₂ catalysts show a sensitive structure–activity relationship, as well as a wide range of applications that can support their key catalytic role in sustainable chemical reactions. A thorough understanding of the structure–activity relationship in preparation, doping, and reactions, as well as the problems and strategies in catalysis, will help design and tune Cu–ZrO₂ catalysts, thereby enhancing their application potential. However, there is still a lack of a systematic and comprehensive summary of the problems and feasible methods in the study of Cu–ZrO₂ catalysts and the research ideas behind them. The research history of the Cu–ZrO₂ catalyst has been reviewed in this paper. First, the preparation methods, auxiliary technologies, process conditions, and the effects of doping different materials on the physicochemical properties and structure of the catalyst are summarized. Subsequently, the conversion of CO and CO₂, production of H₂, conversion of biomass derivatives, treatment of pollutants in air or wastewater, production of fine chemical intermediates, and catalysis in electrocatalytic reactions are reviewed, such as catalytic behavior, active site properties, structure–activity relationship, and reaction mechanisms. Finally, the ideas of performance tuning and application of Cu–ZrO₂ catalysts have been proposed, and the essence of their strong metal–carrier interactions has been discussed, aiming to provide assistance in their design and further application.