Platinum-copper single atom alloy catalysts with high performance towards glycerol hydrogenolysis.

Abstract in brief

• The study reports a platinum-copper (PtCu) single atom alloy (SAA) catalyst where single platinum atoms are dispersed on copper nanoclusters, resulting in highly improved efficiency for converting glycerol into propanediol, with a yield of 98.8% and a record high turnover frequency.
• Both experimental and theoretical analyses show that the unique interface sites created by the single platinum atoms and copper facilitate specific bond-breaking processes—such as breaking the central CH bond and dissociating the terminal CO bond—leading to more efficient catalysis.
• This synergistic mechanism, which lowers the activation energy and changes the reaction pathway, suggests that this approach could be extended to other noble metal alloy catalysts for biomass conversion processes.