Constructing PtCe cluster catalysts by regulating metal-support interaction via Al in zeolite for propane dehydrogenation

Abstract

Pt-based catalysts as one of the most used industrial catalysts in heterogeneous catalysis, it is essential for the on-purpose catalytic dehydrogenation of propane to propylene (PDH). Here, the highly dispersed PtCe clusters are constructed by high-silica Beta zeolite as support to improve the catalytic stability and propylene selectivity in the PDH reaction. The defect sites derived from silanol nests are responsible for dispersing PtCe clusters inside the channels of the high-silica Beta-557 zeolite, while the trace Al sites play an important role in further stabilizing the active site structure by regulating the metal-support interaction. The closely associated Pt and Ce species are critical to embody the outstanding catalytic activity (propane conversion of ∼42.2%, propylene selectivity of ∼91.9%) with excellent stability (deactivation constant: 0.013 h−1) at 550 °C. This work proposed an efficient strategy for designing stable PtCe bimetallic clusters by utilizing silanol nests and Al sites to regulate the metal-support interaction synergistically.