Constructing rich-Zn Pt1Zn1 alloy over the BEA zeolite as a selective catalyst for propane dehydrogenation

The deactivation of Pt-based catalysts is the most critical problem in nonoxidative propane dehydrogenation reaction (PDH), usually manifested in carbon deposition and active site sintering. Zn, as another cheap metal with more abundant reserves than Sn, is also widely used as an assistant in Pt-based catalysts. However, both of them are easy to be reduced to metal valence state and lost in the reaction process. Herein, the enlarged quantities of Zn are applied in the bimetallic Pt-Zn catalyst preparation. As confirmed by the increased reduction temperature of oxidized Zn species, it effectively minimizes the influence of the active metal mobility caused by Zn loss. At the same time, the constructed bimetallic structure modulates the surface acidity of Zn species and presents benign propylene desorption ability, thus the formed highly dispersed Pt sites on the surface of Pt1Zn1 alloy are well-matched with its high propylene selectivity (similar to 98.6%). In addition, the rich-ZnPt(1)Zn(1)sites are beneficial for enhancing the capability of resisting-coke, thus retarding the deactivation of this catalyst.