In glycerol hydrogenolysis, the conventional preparation methods for Pt-WOx catalysts on active supports usually result in the coexistence of various active sites, causing complex reaction network and declining the atom efficiency of W toward 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) production. Herein, we report Pt-(WOx)(n)-H model catalyst prepared via strong metal-oxide interaction (SMOI) behavior on inert SiO2 support, which shows both high performance and W efficiency for 1,3-PDO. The W efficiency as high as 5.786 h(-1) was obtained on 2W4Pt/SiO2 at 160 degrees C under 8.0 MPa. Furthermore, these model catalysts also give the advantage in revealing the Bronsted acidity of Pt-(WOx)(n)-H sites. Structure characterizations and DFT calculation confirm the Bronsted acid strength of Pt-(WOx)(n)-H is significantly sensitive to both the polymerization and reduction degree of WOx domains. The high catalytic efficiency of 2W4Pt/SiO2 originates from the strong Bronsted acidity and its synergism with Pt metal. The correlation between Bronsted acidity and electronic state of Pt-(WOx)(n)-H is also discussed by electron density difference analysis and XPS. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.