Facile solvothermal synthesis of porous cubic Cu microparticles as copper catalysts for Rochow reaction.

Porous cubic Cu microparticles were synthesized by a facile solvothermal method using Cu(CH(3)COO)(2)·H(2)O as the Cu precursor and NaOH in a solution containing ethanol, ethylene glycol, and water. The synthesis conditions were investigated and a growth process of porous cubic Cu microparticles was proposed. The catalytic properties of the porous Cu microparticles as model copper catalysts for Rochow reaction were explored. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, temperature-programmed reduction, and nitrogen adsorption. It was found that the morphology and structure of the porous cubic Cu microparticles are highly dependent on the reaction time and temperature as well as on the amount of reactants added. Compared to the commercial Cu microparticles with irregular morphology and dense internal structure, porous cubic Cu microparticles show much higher dimethyldichlorosilane selectivity and Si conversion via Rochow reaction, which are attributed to the enhanced formation of active Cu(x)Si phase and gas transportation in the presence of the pore system within microparticles, demonstrating the significance of the pore structure of the copper catalysts in catalytic reactions of organosilane synthesis.