IrGa Bimetallic Catalyst with Atomical Metal Dispersion for Propane Dehydrogenation with High Stability

Abstract

AbstractIndustrial catalysts for alkane dehydrogenation to olefins suffer from fast deactivation due to the coking and sintering of active metal under harsh reaction conditions. Herein, iridium, a noble metal rarely applied in C−H activation, has been employed to construct an ultra‐stable IrGa/Al2O3 catalyst with atomical metal dispersion for non‐oxidative propane dehydrogenation (PDH). A synergetic effect between metallic Ir and GaOx is discovered which contributes to both high PDH activity and propylene selectivity. Notably, the Ir0.5Ga2/Al2O3 with 0.5 wt % of Ir and 2.0 wt % of Ga exhibited a propylene selectivity of 98 % at a 19 % propane conversion at 550 °C and 86 % at a 35 % propane conversion at 600 °C. A stable PDH performance of 100 h was observed after a deactivation process at the initial reaction stage. The catalytic performance of the IrGa/Al2O3 is comparable to that of Pt‐based catalysts, endowing the Ir‐based catalyst with great potential in dehydrogenation reactions.