One-Pot Synthesis of 1,2-Pentanediol via the Bifunctional Catalyst of Ti-MWW Strengthened by CeO2 Nanoparticles

Bifunctional mesoporous catalyst CeO 2 /Ti-MWW with active ceria nanoparticles prepared by ultrasonic impregnation. The mesoporous structure and unique redox property of ceria increased the active site, specific surface area and acid site of Ti-MWW. Compared with traditional multi-step process, a one-pot synthesis of 1,2-pentanediol (1,2-PeD) using CeO 2 /Ti-MWW as catalyst is developed to effectively shorten the synthetic route and avoid the separation of intermediates. At the same time, 5%CeO 2 /Ti-MWW exhibited a more excellent highly efficient catalysis for oxidative hydration than Ti-MWW with the 94.2% conversion and 91.07% selectivity. Moreover, the high catalytic activity is attributed to the synergistic strengthening effect between CeO 2 and Ti-MWW bicatalysts for realizing an atomically economical and safe process of 1,2-PeD. Graphic Abstract Nano catalyst CeO 2 /Ti-MWW was prepared by ultrasonic impregnation. A green process for efficient preparation of 1,2-PeD from 1-pentene was proposed via CeO 2 /Ti-MWW.