The metal particle size distribution of a catalyst can affect the rate of deactivation in many chemical reaction. This work developed a facile method to prepare a well dispersed CuZnO/SiO2 catalyst via rotary evaporation assisted deposition-precipitation method (RE-CZS). By comparison, conventional deposition-precipitation method and ultrasound assisted deposition-precipitation method were applied to synthesize other catalysts (Im-CZS and Ul-CZS), in order to clarify the influence of Cu particle size distribution of the catalyst on catalytic stability of methanol synthesis via CO2 hydrogenation. RE-CZS catalyst possessed the narrowest Cu particle distribution (ca. 4.9-9.1 nm) and thus exhibited the best catalytic stability because of the least Cu particle growth. lm-CZS catalyst showed the broadest Cu particle distribution (ca. 5.3-28.7 nm) and suffered from the most serious particle growth resulting in the least catalytic stability. The Cu particle distribution and the related catalytic stability of the Ul-CZS catalyst lied between RE-CZS catalyst and Im-CZS catalyst. The origin of the tremendous effect of the Cu particle size distribution on the catalytic stability was studied via XRD, N-2 adsorption/desorption, N2O chemisorption, ICP-AES, XPS, TEM and temperature-programmed techniques, which suggested that catalyst deactivation was mainly attributed to the growth of Cu particles originating from Ostwald ripening effect. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.