Abstract
We report selective photocatalytic partial oxidation of glycerol on bimetallic formate oxidase mimicking AuPt/TiO2, with a unique self-accelerating reaction kinetics discovered for the first time. Systematic investigation on the glycerol oxidation in the presence of externally added formic acid and various scavengers reveals a positive correlation between photocatalytic activity and solution H2O2 level. A reaction mechanism has been put forward, where the in situ generated formic acid consumes photogenerated holes, and enables on-site H2O2 production on AuPt/TiO2, resulting in accelerated glycerol oxidation and improved C3 product selectivity. In pH 9 borate buffer solution, C3 products selectivity of 72% (60% for glyceric acid) has been achieved at 90% glycerol conversion under AM 1.5 G irradiation for 4 h, at ambient conditions. Our findings presented here may help guiding catalyst design for the photocatalytic biomass valorization in the future.
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