Theaerobicoxidationofglycerolprovidesaneconomicallyviableroutetoglyceraldehyde,dihydroxyacetoneandglycericacidwithversatileapplications,forwhichmonometallicPt,AuandPdandbimetallicAu–Pt,Au–PdandPt–PdcatalystsonTiO2wereexaminedunderbase-freeconditions.PtexhibitedasuperioractivityrelativetoPd,andAu–PdandPt–PdwhileAuwasessentiallyinactive.ThepresenceofAuontheAu–Pt/TiO2catalystsledtotheirhigheractivities(normalizedperPtatom)inawiderangeofAu/Ptatomicratios(i.e.1/3–7/1),andtheonewiththeAu/Ptratioof3/1exhibitedthehighestactivity.SuchpromotingeffectisascribedtotheincreasedelectrondensityonPtviatheelectrontransferfromAutoPt,ascharacterizedbythetemperature-programmeddesorptionofCOandinfra-redspectroscopyforCOadsorption.Meanwhile,thepresenceofAuonAu–Pt/TiO2,mostlikeduetotheobservedelectrontransfer,changedtheproductselectivity,andfacilitatedtheoxidationofthesecondaryhydroxylgroupsinglycerol,leadingtothefavorableformationofdihydroxyacetoneoverglyceraldehydeandglycericacidthatwerederivedfromtheoxidationoftheprimaryhydroxylgroups.ThesynergeticeffectbetweenAuandPtdemonstratesthefeasibilityintheefficientoxidationofglyceroltothetargetedproducts,forexample,byrationaltuningoftheelectronicpropertiesofmetalcatalysts.
