Atomically Dispersed Pt and NiO Clusters Synergistically Enhanced C-O Bond Hydrogenolysis

C-O bond activation is a highly efficient, fundamental strategy in the depolymerization and hydrodeoxygenation of chemicals with oxygen-containing functional groups such as oil, coal, and biomass. Developing efficient catalysts for C-O activation with ultralow-loading noble and non-noble metals is highly desirable for the improvement of metal atomic utilization. Herein, bimetallic catalysts with atomically dispersed Pt and NiO clusters on different supports were fabricated, and the prepared Pt delta+-NiO/Nb2O5 and Pt delta+-NiO/TiO2 showed outstanding activity for the hydrogenolysis of benzyl phenyl ether with >99% yield of phenol and toluene due to the excellent cooperation of atomically dispersed Pt and NiO clusters. The synergy mechanism between Pt and Ni and their respective roles in the bimetallic catalyst for C-O hydrogenolysis were clearly clarified. These findings deepen our understanding of the synergy of the two active components and are expected to provide new design concepts for the development multicomponents catalysts.