(7en) Insight and Applications of Pt-Bi Bimetallic Catalysts: A Combined Experimental and DFT Study

Teaching Interests:  Chemical Thermodynamics and Chemical Reaction Engineering

Owing to environmental concerns and scarcity of known fossil reserves, biomass has been shown as an important renewable source, which can be converted into alternative fuels and value-added chemicals. Heterogeneous catalysis plays an important role in such processes, while the following two issues still remain challenging and limit their industrial applications: tuning selectivity of catalyst towards desired products and improving stability of catalyst against coking/carbon deposit. Both issues can be addressed by the use of bimetallic catalysts, containing a primary metal (e.g. Pt, Pd, Ru, Rh, etc.) and a promoter (e.g. Mo, Sb, Bi, etc.). In the present work, we report such an example with insight and applications of Pt-Bi bimetallic catalysts. It demonstrates that, over Pt-Bi catalysts, selectivity of 1,3-dihydroyacetone (DHA) from glycerol oxidation is tuned, and catalyst stability for reactions involving CH4 (guaiacol deoxygenation using CH4) is improved. Based on experimental observations and theoretical analysis, Bi locates in an adatom-like configuration Pt and a cooperative effect between Pt as the primary metal and Bi as a promoter is identified. Insight into Pt-Bi bimetallic catalysts also proposes additional catalytic applications, such as short-chain alcohol oxidation and hydrocarbon activation.