Enhancing Vinyl Acetate Hydroformylation with La-Decorated Rh/TiO2 Nanotubes Catalysts

Abstract

The influence of La promoter on the catalytic performance of Rh nanoparticles supported on TiO₂ nanotubes (TNTs) in the hydroformylation of vinyl acetate is investigated. The catalysts are characterized using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared, and H₂/CO temperature-programmed desorption. The results indicate that an effect attributes to the formation of LaOx–Rh active sites during the catalytic reaction. The optimized Rh_0.25–La/TNTs catalyst (0.14 wt% Rh, 0.29 wt% La) achieves a high vinyl acetate conversion of 89%, an aldehyde selectivity of 66%, and a remarkable turnover frequency of 5796 h⁻¹.