Abstract

Selective ethane oxidation with O₂ in the presence of CO offers a one-step route to ethanol, yet achieving high selectivity with long-term durability remains challenging because CO-assisted systems often undergo CO-induced sintering, which disrupts the cationic/metallic surface ensembles required for sustained activity. Here, platinum–titanium (Pt–Ti) nanoalloys formed on anatase TiO₂ via strong metal–support interaction (SMSI) sustain aqueous ethane-to-ethanol oxidation at 125 °C for 48 h without measurable deactivation, maintaining 54–66% ethanol selectivity and delivering ∼670 mol of C₂ oxygenates per mol_Pt. Microscopy and spectroscopy indicate that Pt–Ti alloying stabilizes adjacent Pt^δ+/Pt⁰ ensembles while suppressing CO-driven sintering. Mechanistic evidence supports a sequential pathway in which the CO-driven water–gas shift reaction generates H₂, which in turn promotes in situ H₂O₂ formation from H₂ and O₂; the resulting H₂O₂ oxidizes ethane via an ethyl hydroperoxide intermediate to yield ethanol. These results establish SMSI-enabled Pt–Ti alloying as a viable materials strategy to couple selectivity with durability in CO-assisted aqueous ethane oxidation.

Visual Abstract

Credit: Oda et al., ACS Catalysis, 16(5), 5150–5158 (2026), https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.5c09313. © 2026 The Authors. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.