Highly selective oxidation of glycerol over Bi/Bi3.64Mo0.36O6.55 heterostructure: Dual reaction pathways induced by photogenerated 1O2 and holes

Selective oxidation of glycerol to produce aimed high-value added products is of great importance in chemical industry. Photocatalytic oxidation provides a promising and green strategy for selective glycerol oxidation. In this work, we develop a Bi/Bi3.64Mo0.36O6.55 heterostructure via a facile solvothermal method for the selective oxidation glycerol to 1, 3-dihydroxyacetone (DHA) in water under visible light irradiation. The excellent performance in activity and selectivity of Bi/Bi3.64Mo0.36O6.55 heterostructure for DHA production is attributed to a dual-pathway photocatalytic reaction process. The mass production 1O2 ascribed to the reduced energy gap (ΔEST), the enhanced spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and the presence of oxygen vacancy is beneficial for the selective oxidation of glycerol to DHA. Simultaneously, the metallic bismuth in the heterostructure promotes the separation of photogenerated holes with efficient redox potential and facilitates the binding bismuth with ortho-hydroxyl in glycerol, thus enhancing the yield and selectivity of DHA production. This work provides a novel strategy and thorough understanding of the development of highly efficient bismuth-based photocatalyst for selective oxidation in organic reactions.