Self-evolved BO_x anchored on Mg₂B₂O₅ crystallites for high-performance oxidative dehydrogenation of propane

Oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODHP) is a promising process for producing propene. Recently, some boron-based catalysts have exhibited excellent olefin selectivity in ODHP. However, their complex synthetic routes and poor stability under high-temperature reaction conditions have hindered their practical application. Herein, we report a self-evolution method rather than conventional assembly approaches to acquire structures with excellent stability under a high propane conversion, from a single precursor-MgB2. The catalyst feasibly prepared and optimized exhibited a striking performance: 60% propane con-version with a 43.2% olefin yield at 535 degrees C. The BOx corona pinned by the strong interaction with the borate enabled zero loss of the high conversion (around 40%) and olefins selectivity (above 80%) for over 100 h at 520 degrees C. This all-in-one strategy of deriving all the necessary components from just one raw chemical provides a new way to synthesize effective and economic catalysts for potential industrial implementation.