Hydrogenolysis of Glycerol to 1,3‐propanediol under Low Hydrogen Pressure over WOx‐Supported Single/Pseudo‐Single Atom Pt Catalyst

Abstract Single/pseudo‐single atom Pt catalyst was prepared on mesoporous WO x . The large surface area and abundant oxygen vacancies of WO x improve the Pt dispersion and stabilize the Pt isolation. This newly prepared catalyst exhibited outstanding hydrogenolysis activity under 1 MPa H 2 pressure with a very high space–time yield towards 1,3‐propanediol (3.78 g g Pt −1 h −1 ) in Pt–W catalysts. The highly isolated Pt structure is thought to contribute to the excellent H 2 dissociation capacity over Pt/WO x . The high selectivity towards 1,3‐propanediol is attributed to the heterolytic dissociation of H 2 at the interface of Pt and WO x (providing specific Brønsted acid sites and the concerted dehydration–hydrogenation reaction) and the bond formation between glycerol and WO x , which favors/stabilizes the formation of a secondary carbocation intermediate as well as triggers the redox cycle of the W species (W 6+ ⇄W 5+ ).