Cu/ZnO catalysts represent an environmentally friendly alternative to Adkins catalysts used for ester hydrogenolysis. Cu/ZnO are mostly synthesized by co-precipitation (COP); however, other synthesis methods may help to obtain small highly dispersed Cu crystallites advantageous for catalyst activity. A comparative study on the effect of synthesis method on Cu/ZnO catalysts properties and activity is missing. Thus, we synthesized 8 wt% Cu/ZnO catalysts by five methods (COP, deposition-precipitation (DP), chemisorption-hydrolysis (CH), incipient wetness (IWI) and wet impregnation (WI)), characterized and tested them in dimethyl adipate hydrogenolysis. The CH-prepared catalyst was prone to Cu sintering, which impaired its performance. IWI led to large Cu nanoparticles, pore blocking and poor catalytic performance. COP and DP resulted in the smallest Cu nanoparticles (13−14 nm), largest Cu surface area (3.9–4.2 m² g_cat⁻¹) and specific surface area (40−43 m² g_cat⁻¹) reflected in their superior catalytic activity making DP a good alternative to COP to prepare active Cu/ZnO catalysts.

Cu/ZnO 催化剂代表了用于酯氢解的 Adkins 催化剂的环保替代品。Cu/ZnO多采用共沉淀法合成；然而，其他合成方法可能有助于获得有利于催化剂活性的小的高度分散的铜微晶。缺少合成方法对 Cu/ZnO 催化剂性能和活性影响的比较研究。因此，我们通过五种方法（COP、沉积-沉淀 (DP)、化学吸附-水解 (CH)、初湿 (IWI) 和湿浸渍 (WI)）合成了 8 wt% 的 Cu/ZnO 催化剂，并在二甲基亚砜中对其进行了表征和测试。己二酸氢解。CH制备的催化剂容易发生Cu烧结，从而损害其性能。IWI导致Cu纳米颗粒大、孔阻塞和催化性能差。²  g _cat ^-1 ) 和比表面积 (40-43 m ²  g _cat ^-1 ) 反映在它们优越的催化活性上，这使得 DP 成为制备活性 Cu/ZnO 催化剂的 COP 的良好替代品。