Insights into the Mechanism of Tandem Alkene Hydroformylation over a Nanostructured Catalyst with Multiple Interfaces

The concept of tandem catalysis, where sequential reactions catalyzed by different interfaces in single nanostructure give desirable product selectively, has previously been applied effectively in the production of propanal from methanol (via carbon monoxide and hydrogen) and ethylene via tandem hydroformylation. However, the underlying mechanism leading to enhanced product selectivity has remained elusive due to the lack of stable, well-defined catalyst suitable for in-depth comprehensive study. Accordingly, we present the design and synthesis of a three-dimensional (3D) catalyst CeO2–Pt@mSiO2 with well-defined metal–oxide interfaces and stable architecture and investigate the selective conversion of ethylene to propanal via tandem hydroformylation. The effective production of aldehyde through the tandem hydroformylation was also observed on propylene and 1-butene. A thorough study of the CeO2–Pt@mSiO2 under different reaction and control conditions reveals that the ethylene present for the hydroformylat...