Mechanistic Understanding of Efficient Polyethylene Hydrocracking over Two‐Dimensional Platinum‐Anchored Tungsten Trioxide
Qimin Zhou, Deliang Wang, Qingyue Wang, Kailin He, Khak Ho Lim, Xuan Yang, Wenjun Wang, Bo‐Geng Li, Pingwei Liu
Abstract
Abstract Chemical upcycling of polyethylene (PE) can convert plastic waste into valuable resources. However, engineering a catalyst that allows PE decomposition at low temperatures with high activity remains a significant challenge. Herein, we anchored 0.2 wt.% platinum (Pt) on defective two‐dimensional tungsten trioxide (2D WO 3 ) nanosheets and achieved hydrocracking of high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) waste at 200–250 °C with a liquid fuel (C 5–18 ) formation rate up to 1456 g products ⋅ g metal species −1 ⋅ h −1 . The reaction pathway over the bifunctional 2D Pt/WO 3 is elucidated by quasi‐operando transmission infrared spectroscopy, where (I) well‐dispersed Pt immobilized on 2D WO 3 nanosheets trigger the dissociation of hydrogen; (II) adsorption of PE and activation of C−C cleavage on WO 3 are through the formation of C=O/C=C intermediates; (III) intermediates are converted to alkane products by the dissociated H. Our study directly illustrates the synergistic role of bifunctional Pt/WO 3 catalyst in the hydrocracking of HDPE, paving the way for the development of high‐performance catalysts with optimized chemical and morphological properties.