Cobalt silicate-doped Pt/silicate-1 for enhanced carbonyl selectivity in cinnamaldehyde hydrogenation

Selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde (CAL) to cinnamyl alcohol (COL) presents a significant challenge owing to the thermodynamically unfavorable hydrogenation of the carbonyl (C═O) over the olefinic (C═C) bond. Herein, we report the rational design of silicate-1 (S-1) anchored PtCo catalysts (PtCo@S-1) synthesized via a sequential hydrothermal-impregnation method. Notably, the 4Pt1Co@S-1 catalyst exhibited superior catalytic performance, achieving a high COL selectivity of 92% at a near-complete CAL conversion of 98.2%. Furthermore, the catalyst exhibits robust stability with only slight fluctuations after five cycle tests. Beyond CAL hydrogenation, the developed catalyst is also applicable to the chemo-selectivity hydrogenation of other α, β-unsaturated aldehydes to the corresponding α, β-unsaturated alcohols during the substrate-extending hydrogenation tests. Experiments and theoretical calculations reveals the presence of CoSiO 2 species critically modifies the geometric and electronic structure of the Pt metallic active sites. This modification promotes the preferential adsorption and activation of the C═O bond, thereby significantly enhancing selectivity towards COL.