Pt-Loaded Nb-W Metal Composite Oxide for Selective Cleavage of Secondary C-O Bonds

Selective hydrogenolysis of glycerol to 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) is recognized as one of the most promising reactions for the valorization of biomass. Precise activation of C-O bonds of glycerol molecule is the key step to realize the high yield of catalytic conversion. Here, a Pt-loaded Nb-W composite oxides with crystallographic shear phase for the precise activation and cleavage of secondary C-O (C(2)-O) bonds are first reported. The developed Nb14W3O44 with uniform structure possesses arrays of W-O-Nb active sites that totally distinct from individual WOx or NbOx species, which is superior to the adsorption and activation of C(2)-O bonds. The Nb14W3O44 support with rich reversible redox couples also promotes the electron feedback ability of Pt and enhances its interaction with Pt nanoparticles, resulting in high activity for H-2 dissociation and hydrogenation. All these favorable factors confer the Pt/Nb14W3O44 excellent performance for selective hydrogenolysis of glycerol to 1,3-PDO with the yield of 75.2% exceeding the record of 66%, paying the way for the commercial development of biomass conversion. The reported catalysts or approach can also be adopted to create a family of Nb-W metal composite oxides for other catalytic reactions requiring selective C-O bond activation and cleavage.