Construction of Pt<sub>3</sub>Sn<sub>1</sub> Alloy Catalyst with High Activity for Selective Hydrogenation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural
Xin Li, Jianguo Wu, Dong Cao, Daojian Cheng
Abstract
Regulating catalyst component is necessary to improve the catalytic efficiency of selective hydrogenation for 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). Here, we precisely construct PtSn bimetallic alloy catalysts with different Pt/Sn atomic ratios by a deposition–precipitation strategy. Importantly, a volcano-type relationship between the PtSn alloy component and catalytic activity is disclosed during the selective hydrogenation of HMF. Remarkably, the Pt 3 Sn 1 alloy catalyst exhibits the highest catalytic activity compared to that of other samples, which could achieve 99.1% HMF conversion and 98.1% 2,5-bis (hydroxymethyl) furan selectivity. Moreover, the turnover frequency of Pt 3 Sn 1 catalyst is 1952 h –1, which is about 6 times as high as that of pure Pt catalyst. Further studies reveal that the introduction of Sn could change the electronic structure of Pt atoms. Different Pt/Sn atomic ratios result in different extents of charge transfer from Sn to Pt. The Pt sites in Pt 3 Sn 1 show moderate changes in electronic structure, which enhance the adsorption of the reactants and thus boost the intrinsic catalytic activity. This work provides a novel insight to optimize the component of catalysts in various reactions.